SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Administration of Justice: Appeals

Nick Herbert: To ask the Solicitor-General how many appeals on the grounds of undue leniency were made in each of the last five years.

Vera Baird: The Attorney-General's Office publishes annual statistics on unduly lenient sentence references on its website:
	www.attorneygeneral.gov.uk
	The following table shows the number of offenders whose sentences were referred to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient, the number of offenders whose references were subsequently withdrawn and the number of offenders who were therefore brought before the Court of Appeal in each of the last five years for which full statistics have been published.
	
		
			   Offenders referred to Court of Appeal  Withdrawn references  Offenders brought to the Court of Appeal 
			 2002 148 9 139 
			 2003 102 6 96 
			 2004 159 22 137 
			 2005 127 19 108 
			 2006 160 16 144

Administration of Justice: Appeals

Nick Herbert: To ask the Solicitor-General how many appeals on the grounds of undue leniency against the minimum tariff applied in cases of indeterminate sentences for public protection were made in each of the last three years.

Vera Baird: The Attorney-General's Office publishes annual statistics on unduly lenient sentence references on its website:
	www.attomeygeneral.gsi.gov.uk
	The following table shows the number of offenders whose sentences were referred to the Court of Appeal on the basis that the minimum term attached to a sentence of imprisonment for public protection (under section 225 (3) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003) was unduly lenient in each of the years when the sentence was available to the court and for which full statistics have been published.
	
		
			  Offenders referred 
			   Number 
			 2005(1) 0 
			 2006 2 
			 (1) The legislation came into force on 4 April 2005 and applies to offences committed from that date.

Corruption: Bosnia

John Austin: To ask the Solicitor-General whether the Attorney General has sought views from other Government Departments about providing consent for the Serious Fraud Office to pursue a prosecution relating to alleged corrupt activity in Bosnia by the UK-based company EFT.

Vera Baird: I do not propose to comment on the details of a case currently under consideration.

Corruption: Bosnia

John Austin: To ask the Solicitor-General what the reasons are for the time taken by the Attorney General's Office to decide the application for consent for the Serious Fraud Office to pursue an overseas corruption prosecution related to an alleged corrupt activity in Bosnia by a UK-based company.

Vera Baird: A decision whether to consent to a prosecution is not a rubber-stamping exercise. The time taken to process a case may depend on the nature and complexity of the issues, legal and otherwise, and any dialogue with the prosecuting authority that may be necessary. I do not propose to comment on an individual case that is currently under consideration.

Sexual Offences: Appeals

Nick Herbert: To ask the Solicitor-General how many appeals on the grounds of undue leniency against sentences for rape were made in each of the last five years.

Vera Baird: The Attorney-General's Office publishes annual statistics on unduly lenient sentence references on its website:
	www.attorneygeneral.gov.uk
	The following table shows the number of offenders whose sentences for offences including rape(1) were referred to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient in each of the last five years for which full statistics have been published.
	(1) This includes attempted rape, conspiracy to rape and incitement to rape offences.
	
		
			  Offenders referred to Court of Appeal 
			   Number 
			 2002 4 
			 2003 12 
			 2004 12 
			 2005 11 
			 2006 18

Teachers: Misconduct

Michael Gove: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  how many allegations of assault or professional misconduct brought against teachers by pupils were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many teachers prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service were found guilty of assault or professional misconduct following allegations by pupils in each year since 1997.

Vera Baird: The records maintained by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) do not identify defendants in criminal proceedings by their profession or by their professional relationship with victims. To obtain this information, by reference to individual case files, would incur disproportionate cost (Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, part 2, clause 9).

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Equality

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much expenditure his Department has incurred in conducting  (a) equality screening exercises and  (b) equality impact assessments in each of the last three years.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office has in each of the last three years only incurred normal staff costs in conducting  (a) equality screening exercises and  (b) equality impact assessments as no external resources were engaged to carry out these exercises.

Departmental Equality

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) equality screening exercises and  (b) equality impact assessments his Department conducted in each of the last three years; and how many of each it proposes to conduct in 2008.

Shaun Woodward: Details of  (a) equality screening exercises and  (b) equality impact assessments conducted by the Northern Ireland Office in each of the last three years are available in the Department's Section 75 Annual Progress Reports which appear on the NIO website at:
	http://www.nio.gov.uk/index/niopublication/niopubsearch esults.htm?category=Rights_and_Equality&keyword=Section+75&order=date&submitbutton.x=10&submitbutton. y=11
	Information on the number of  (a) equality screening exercises and  (b) equality impact assessments the Department proposes to conduct in 2008-09 is being collated and will appear in the 2007-08 Annual Progress Report which will be published on the NIO website later this year.

Departmental Public Participation

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many public consultations have been held by his Department since March 2007; and how many respondents took part in each consultation carried out by his Department in the last three years.

Shaun Woodward: In each of the last three years the Northern Ireland Office held the following number of public consultations:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005-06 16 
			 2006-07 20 
			 2007-08 8 
		
	
	The number of responses to these consultations varies greatly ranging from no responses in the consultation "Search Code of Practice issued under POCA 2002", to several thousand responses in the consultation on "Review of Sexual Offences".

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2689W, on departmental translation services, how much his Department, associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on translation services into  (a) Irish,  (b) Welsh and  (c) other languages in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05, (iii) 2005-06, (iv) 2006-07 and (v) 2007-08 to date.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is not held centrally and to provide this information would incur disproportionate costs. The Department, associated agencies and non-departmental bodies can provide the following information on translation services:
	
		
			  Spend on translation services 
			  £ 
			   Irish  Other languages 
			 2003-04 687.38 114,314.45 
			 2004-05 1,105.91 256,772.79 
			 2005-06 576.50 526,878.07 
			 2006-07 1,963.00 910,160.00 
		
	
	Spend on translation services into other languages mainly comprises ethnic minority languages.
	As indicated in a previous question (187993) figures are not yet available for the period 2007-08 but we shall lay this information in the Library of the House as soon as it becomes available.

Driving under Influence: Reoffenders

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people convicted of drink-driving related offences in Northern Ireland where a custodial sentence was not given were subsequently convicted of similar offences within 12 months of the original conviction in the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The table gives the number of convictions for drink/drug-driving related offences in Northern Ireland where a non-custodial sentence was given. Data in relation to the number of people who were subsequently convicted of similar offences within 12 months are not available. However, in 2004 (the latest year for which data are available) the two-year reconviction rate for all those sentenced to supervised community sentences was 33.7 per cent. compared with the predicted rate of 42.8 per cent. While we are not complacent, this is an encouraging sign and a clear indication that the measures and wide range of schemes put in place by the various criminal justice agencies to help reduce reconviction by offenders is having a positive impact.
	Data in the following table cover the calendar years 2002 to 2006 (the latest available years) and are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	
		
			  Number of persons convicted of drink/drug-driving related offences( 1)  in Northern Ireland who were given non-custodial sentences 2002-06 
			   Number of persons given non-custodial sentences 
			 2002 2,239 
			 2003 2,537 
			 2004 2,660 
			 2005 2,779 
			 2006 2,785 
			 (1) It is not possible to separate out drug-related offences from alcohol-related offences for the offences of 'driving when unfit through drink or drugs', 'driving while under the influence of', 'attempting to drive while under the influence of' and 'in charge of a vehicle when under the influence of'.

Electoral Register

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the percentage of 18 year olds in Northern Ireland on the electoral register.

Paul Goggins: The Secretary of State has not made an estimate of the percentage of 18-year-olds in Northern Ireland on the electoral register. This is a matter for the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland and the hon. Member may wish to contact the Chief Electoral Officer directly.

Emergency Calls: Hoaxes and False Alarms

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many 999 calls turned out to be hoaxes in 2007; and how many such callers then involved a genuine 999 call in the same general vicinity.

Paul Goggins: The Chief Constable has provided the following answer:
	"The total number of hoax calls using the reporting method of 999 to PSNI from 1 January to 31 December 2007 was 884. The information sought in the second half of the question is not recorded in the way requested but the total number of non hoax calls using the same method was 99,296."

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Recruitment

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used for the recruitment process to the Police Service of Northern Ireland of those who respond to advertisements in  (a) Northern Ireland,  (b) the Irish Republic and  (c) Great Britain.

Paul Goggins: I am advised by PSNI that the criteria and assessment process for the recruitment of regular officers to the Police Service of Northern Ireland are exactly the same, regardless of origin of application.

Prisoner Escapes: Causeway Hospital

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the review into the escape from custody of the prisoner attending the Causeway hospital on Tuesday 15 April 2008 to be concluded.

Paul Goggins: Terms of reference for the review were issued by the Prison Service's Deputy Director, Head of Operations, on 16 April, and specified that the report should be completed within 14 working days, i.e. 6 May. The investigating officer started interviews on Monday 21 April and it is expected that the review will be completed on schedule.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics 
	(1)  how much and what proportion of the finance for the cost of the construction of the athletes' village for the 2012 Olympic Games is planned to be raised on the debt markets;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with Bovis/Lend Lease on raising capital for financing the construction of the Olympic village;
	(3)  when she expects to announce the award of the contract for the construction of the athletes' village for the 2012 Olympics;
	(4)  what her most recent estimate is of the public funding to be allocated to supporting the broadcast and media centres at the Olympic village for the 2012 Olympics;
	(5)  if she will provide a breakdown by main budget heading of the £492 million figure announced in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Annual Olympics Report of January 2008 allocated to construction of the  (a) broadcast and media centres and  (b) Olympic village for the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 31 March 2008,  Official Report, column 454W. The combined public sector budget for the IBC/MPC and the Olympic village remains at £492 million. However, the exact value of the overall public sector contribution will be finalised as sensitive commercial negotiations are closed out and, until then, we cannot disclose the further details requested.

SCOTLAND

Festivals and Special Occasions: USA

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department played a role in  (a) Tartan Day and  (b) other Scotland Week events in the United States in April 2008.

David Cairns: There was no Scotland Office involvement in events in the US in April.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Select Committees: Regional Government

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Leader of the House what the reasons are for the time taken to set up regional select committees; and when she expects them to be appointed.

Helen Goodman: This matter is being considered by the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons and the Government await its report with interest. The Committee invited evidence from October last year and has subsequently held a number of oral evidence sessions. The Government will bring forward proposals in due course.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Energy: EU Law

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his officials will next meet the European Commission to discuss the Energy-using Products Directive.

Joan Ruddock: My officials held a teleconference with the European Commission on 24 April to discuss the draft implementing measure on boilers and water heaters under the Energy Using Products Directive.

Lighting: Waste Disposal

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration he has given to the safe disposal of compact fluorescent lamps.

Joan Ruddock: Low-energy light bulbs should be disposed of responsibly and advice on their safe disposal has been made available on DEFRA's public website.
	From 1 July 2007, waste Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs—the most common type of energy efficient bulbs) have been subject to the requirements of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations. Those who sell items such as energy efficient bulbs must provide information to the public about where they can take waste bulbs and other WEEE. Some retailers will also take them back in store. However, most retailers have funded Designated Collection Facilities—the majority of these are at local authority civic amenity sites. From this point, producers of such equipment fund its transport, treatment and recycling.
	CFLs contain a small amount of mercury (limited to 5mg by the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive) but it cannot escape from an intact bulb. Even if a bulb should break, the risks from such a small amount of mercury are minimal.

Plastics: Recycling

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to facilitate development of plastics recycling facilities.

Joan Ruddock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 557W.

Recycling

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much waste was recycled by each local authority in  (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (b) Lincolnshire in the latest period for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: The tonnages of household waste recycled, reused or composted by each local authority in Yorkshire and the Humber and Lincolnshire in 2006-07 are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Household waste sent for recycling/reuse/composting 
			   Type of authority  tonnage 
			  (a) Yorkshire and the Humber   
			 Barnsley UA 26,461 
			 Bradford UA 56,373 
			 Calderdale UA 18,967 
			 Craven WCA 7,902 
			 Doncaster UA 38,814 
			 East Riding UA 55,769 
			 Hambleton WCA 15,677 
			 Harrogate WCA 12,043 
			 Hull UA 25,389 
			 Kirklees UA 40,334 
			 Leeds UA 77,656 
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 22,682 
			 North Lincolnshire UA 35,225 
			 North Yorkshire WDA 116,679 
			 Richmondshire WCA 6,409 
			 Rotherham UA 35,503 
			 Ryedale WCA 11,412 
			 Scarborough WCA 9,335 
			 Selby WCA 11,321 
			 Sheffield UA 59,617 
			 Wakefield UA 40,600 
			 York UA 40,561 
			
			  (b) Lincolnshire   
			 Boston WCA 6,305 
			 East Lindsey WCA 19,657 
			 Lincoln WCA 12,770 
			 Lincolnshire WDA 141,313 
			 North Kesteven WCA 27,327 
			 South Holland WCA 7,229 
			 South Kesteven WCA 16,979 
			 West Lindsey WCA 11,820 
			  Source:  2006-07 WasteDataFlow results.

Waste Disposal: Private Finance Initiative

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what applications his Department has received from Gloucestershire county council in respect of private finance initiative projects for waste disposal.

Joan Ruddock: DEFRA first received an application for private finance initiative (PFI) credits from Gloucestershire county council in 2003. Gloucestershire's proposed waste PFI project was approved by the Department and the Treasury's Project Review Group.
	The procurement progressed to the Best and Final Offer stage. However, following a review of all major procurement schemes, the council decided to terminate the procurement and surrender the indicative allocation of PFI credits.
	In May 2007 DEFRA received a new Expression of Interest (EoI) from Gloucestershire county council for PFI support. The project will be supporting the implementation of a long-term residual waste treatment solution.
	On the basis of the EoI, DEFRA subsequently invited the authority to produce a detailed Outlined Business Case which represents the formal application for PFI credits. The deadline for this is 30 April 2008.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Females

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take to achieve the 50 per cent. target for women on the boards of arts organisations; what funding his Department has allocated to such measures over the next 12 months; and when he expects the target to be met.

Margaret Hodge: The Department is undertaking a range of measures to improve board diversity, and to work towards achieving the target of 50 per cent. representation of women on the boards of its NDPBs. These include widening departmental networks and contacts, encouraging NDPBs to produce diversity plans for appointments, and raising awareness about public appointments generally. It is not possible to predict when this target will be met, but we will continue to work energetically to achieve it. We plan to launch a targeted leaflet and publicity campaign this summer, specifically aimed at reaching and engaging people from under-represented groups, including women, members of ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities. The cost of this campaign is not yet confirmed.

Arts: Females

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what consultation process his Department undertook to inform the process by which 50 per cent. was agreed as the target for women's participation in the boards of arts organisations.

Margaret Hodge: The DCMS target for 50 per cent. representation of women applies to the boards of the NDPBs for which it is responsible, and to which DCMS Ministers make appointments. This target was agreed in consultation with the Cabinet Office.

Culture: Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether  (a) arts and crafts and  (b) museums and heritage initiatives will be prioritised under the Find Your Talent campaign.

Margaret Hodge: When we announced the Government's plans for a Find Your Talent programme in February 2008, we published a prospectus setting out a core range of activities the pilots, as a minimum, should offer. This includes: learning a musical instrument; visiting and engaging with national and local exhibitions, galleries and museums; taking part in theatre and dance performances; making a piece of visual art or craft; and visiting heritage sites, significant contemporary buildings and public spaces.

Culture: Pilot Schemes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in which 10 areas the Find Your Talent programme will be piloted.

Margaret Hodge: We are not yet in a position to announce which 10 areas will pilot the Find Your Talent programme.
	The deadline for expressions of interest was 7 April. We are hoping to announce the pilot areas by the end of May, following a final decision from Ministers. This will be based on advice from a stakeholder group that includes members from key cultural and educational organisations.

Digital Broadcasting: Elderly

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he has taken to assist older people in realising the benefits to be derived from the switchover to digital television.

Andy Burnham: The Government have announced a Help Scheme to assist the over 75s and those with significant disabilities, including people registered blind and partially sighted, to convert to digital television. The Help Scheme is an end-to-end package of support. As well as provision of a high quality set top box, the Scheme will provide practical assistance to install and use the equipment and the provision of an aerial if needed.
	Digital UK has set up a digital outreach programme to deliver information and advice to older people who are under 75, those with sensory, mobility or dexterity impairments, people with learning difficulties and those who are socially isolated. Digital UK has a £2.9 million contract with Digital Outreach Ltd, a company set up by leading UK charities Age Concern England, Help the Aged, Community Service Volunteers and Collective Enterprises Limited, to commission support from local and regional voluntary sector organisations and charities, initially in the first four ITV regions to switch over (Border, West Country, Wales and Granada).

Fossils: Protection

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the outcome of consultations on protection of fossils following the recommendations of the Quinquennial Review by the Committee on the Export of Works of Art in 2003.

Margaret Hodge: My Department has undertaken no formal public consultation on this matter following the Quinquennial Review of the Reviewing Committee for the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest in 2003.

Health Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department provides health or social care services out of public funds, with reference to the Statement by the Minister of State, Department of Health, in the Health and Social Care Bill Committee, of 17 January 2008,  Official Report, column 327.

Margaret Hodge: My Department does not provide any medical health schemes out of public funds. However, we do provide an Employee Assistance programme, which includes a counselling service.

Internet: Suicide

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to act against internet sites which encourage  (a) suicide or  (b) anorexia.

Margaret Hodge: I am concerned about the potential harm of such internet sites. In March this year we accepted the recommendations of the Byron Review including that the new UK Council on Child Internet Safety look at whether the law around harmful and inappropriate material online could usefully be clarified, and explore appropriate enforcement responses. We expect this to be a key area of work for the council and that will make early recommendations for action if necessary.

Libraries: Finance

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the budget is for each public library in Wirral, West constituency for 2008-09.

Margaret Hodge: The budget for each public library in 2008-09 in Wirral, West constituency, as provided by the Metropolitan borough of Wirral, is as follows:
	
		
			  Library  Net budget (£) 
			 Upton 141,600 
			 West Kirby 161,500 
			 Greasby 118,800 
			 Irby 77,000 
			 Pensby 98,200 
			 Hoylake 125,200 
			 Woodchurch 72,000

Regional Cultural Consortiums: Audit

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what arrangements are in place for auditing the accounts of regional cultural consortia (RCCs) accounts; and what audits have been conducted under these arrangements since RCCs were established.

Margaret Hodge: The Regional Cultural Consortia (RCCs) are companies limited by guarantee, and audits are carried out under the Companies Act by external auditors appointed by each of the Consortiums. Since the RCCs became executive NDPBs in 2004 there have been audits on a yearly basis.
	Following the Government's decision to give the Comptroller and Auditor General (C and A G) statutory powers to carry out audits of companies, it is open to the C and A G to perform this function for the RCCs in future.

Tourism: Finance

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the UK's national tourism deficit benchmarked against  (a) France,  (b) Germany,  (c) the United States,  (d) Australia,  (e) Spain and  (f) Portugal.

Margaret Hodge: The UK's tourism balance of payments deficit for 2006 was £18.4 billion. According to the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), this compared to:
	
		
			£ billion 
			 France Surplus (1)9.58 
			 Germany Deficit (1)27.32 
			 Spain Surplus (1)23.85 
			 United States Surplus (2)6.34 
			 (1 )2006. (2 )2005, the latest figure held. 
		
	
	These figures have been converted to sterling at current exchange rates. The OECD does not hold the relevant figures for Australia and Portugal.
	These figures show the obvious effects of climate and easier air travel. The Government are working with the tourism industry to make holidaying in this country more attractive to UK residents by improving the quality of our tourism offer in key areas, and this work has been brought together through the DCMS Tourism Strategy for 2012.

PRIME MINISTER

10 Downing Street Policy Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister who the head of the Number 10 Downing Street Policy Unit is.

Gordon Brown: The information requested is available on the No. 10 website, at:
	http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page12.asp
	A copy of this webpage has been placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Internet

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent on the most recent redesign and implementation of his office's website.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 17 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 1134-35W. Figures for 2007-08 will be available when the Cabinet Office Annual Resource accounts have been audited.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what  (a) procedures were followed and  (b) steps were taken in (i) advertising and (ii) interviewing for the appointment to post in No. 10 Downing Street of (A) Stephen Carter, (B) Nick Stace, (C) Jennifer Moses and (D) David Muir;
	(2)  what the duties of the Government Relations Director are;
	(3)  to whom  (a) Jennifer Moses,  (b) Stephen Carter,  (c) Nick Stace and  (d) David Muir report within his Office; who the line manager of each is; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: Special advisers are appointed under the terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister who in his office has the status of special adviser; and how much each such staff member is paid.

Gordon Brown: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each pay band. I refer the hon. Member to my written statement on 22 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 148-150WS.

Departmental Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister what the  (a) salary,  (b) status and  (c) contract terms are of each member of staff at No. 10 Downing Street; when each was appointed; and what the purpose is of each unit and office within No. 10 Downing Street.

Gordon Brown: Information about the salary and contractual terms of individual members of staff is personal between the employer and employee and therefore not disclosed. The cost and number of No. 10 staff, including special advisers, are published annually.

Official Visits: USA

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister which  (a) Senators and  (b) Members of Congress he met during his recent visit to the United States; where the meetings took place in each case; which Government Departments provided briefing materials for his use during the visit; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: During my recent visit to the United States I had meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects. In addition, I held separate meetings with Senators McCain, Clinton and Obama at the ambassador's residence in Washington. Briefing was provided by the relevant Government Departments.

Schools: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister which  (a) schools and  (b) hospitals in Essex he visited in each month since January 2007; on what dates and for what purpose in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: A list of my UK visits will be published in the usual way following the end of the financial year.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: United Nations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the term of appointment of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in Afghanistan is.

Kim Howells: Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, announced the appointment of Kai Eide as his special representative for Afghanistan on 10 March 2008. The appointment is a one year renewable term.

Airports: Official Hospitality

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times VIP facilities at  (a) Heathrow,  (b) Gatwick,  (c) Luton and  (d) Stansted Airport were hired by Her Majesty's Government in each month since May 2006; and what the expenditure on VIP facilities at each was in each of those months.

Meg Munn: Based on Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) records since May 2006, there were 4,309 official FCO bookings at an estimated cost of £1,273,140. Actual costs, for the financial year 2007-08, will be available on receipt of BAA's final bill (trading statement) for that period.
	A monthly breakdown of official usage is given as follows.
	
		
			  Bookings from May 2006 to March 2008 
			   Number of bookings  Total cost (£) (estimated) 
			  Heathrow   
			  2006   
			 May 414 114,264.00 
			 June 353 97,428.00 
			 July 103 28,428.00 
			 August 44 12,144.00 
			 September 109 30,084.00 
			 October 209 57,684.00 
			 November 310 85,560.00 
			 December 52 14,352.00 
			
			  2007   
			 January 176 48,576.00 
			 February 175 48,300.00 
			 March 252 69,552.00 
			 April 174 48,024.00 
			 May 242 66,792.00 
			 June 240 66,240.00 
			 July 174 48,024.00 
			 August 67 18,492.00 
			 September 184 50,784.00 
			 October 170 46,920.00 
			 November 140 38,640.00 
			 December 97 26,772.00 
			
			  2008   
			 January 105 28,980.00 
			 February 115 31,740.00 
			 March 83 22,908.00 
			 Total 3,988 1,100,688.00 
			
			  Gatwick   
			  2006   
			 May 30 12,480.00 
			 June 11 4,576.00 
			 July 8 3,328.00 
			 August 0 0.00 
			 September 12 4,992.00 
			 October 10 4,160.00 
			 November 14 5,824.00 
			 December 12 4,992.00 
			
			  2007   
			 January 13 5,408.00 
			 February 9 3,744.00 
			 March 14 5,824.00 
			 April 21 13,083.00 
			 May 21 13,083.00 
			 June 27 16,821.00 
			 July 0 0.00 
			 August 6 3,738.00 
			 September 19 11,837.00 
			 October 26 16,198.00 
			 November 21 13,083.00 
			 December 21 13,083.00 
			
			  2008   
			 January 7 4,361.00 
			 February 7 4,361.00 
			 March 12 7,476.00 
			 Total 321 172,452.00

Burma: Internally Displaced Persons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to mitigate the challenges arising from the volume of internally displaced people in Karenni state and other parts of eastern Burma; and which of these have been taken in co-operation with the Government of Thailand.

Meg Munn: I visited Thailand from 28 February to 1 March and met several non-governmental organisations working in the refugee camps on the Burma/Thailand border. I also raised the plight of ethnic groups in the border region with the Thai Minister of Interior.
	The UK provides support to people in Karenni state through several mechanisms:
	funding for the UN Development Programme's Human Development Initiative;
	our significant contribution to the Three Diseases Fund, which supports work on HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in Karenni state;
	support provided through local faith based organisations who are able to reach internally displaced people from inside the country; and
	support from Thailand through the Thailand-Burma Border Consortium, which is providing assistance to the refugee camp bordering Karenni state, Ban Mae Noi Sae.
	UK funding for projects in Karenni state is part of our effort to provide humanitarian assistance to people suffering poverty and deprivation across Burma. The Department for International Development's programme in Burma is increasing from £9 million in 2007-08 to £18 million in 2010-11.

Burma: Politics and Government

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to invoke the UN Security Council principle of the responsibility to protect in relation to Burma.

Meg Munn: We continue to support the concept of Responsibility to Protect, under which Governments have the responsibility to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
	As a member of the UN Security Council, the UK has persistently stated that the military regime in Burma must account for the systematic and appalling human rights abuses it commits against Burma's people. We strongly support the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma and his work to gather evidence of the abuses that have taken place. We have called for his early return to Burma to be facilitated by the regime to enable the Rapporteur to continue his vital role.
	The UK has helped to secure strong resolutions on Burma at the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly Third Committee, and worked to keep Burma on the Security Council agenda. The President of the UN Security Council's statement in October 2007 required a number of actions by the regime, including an inclusive transition to democracy. With the Burmese military rulers' failure to deliver any tangible outcomes despite the good work by the office of the UN Secretary-General, we will continue to consider options for further Security Council action with like-minded partners in New York.

Commonwealth: Scholarships

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people received funding under the Commonwealth Scholarships Programme in 2006-07, broken down by country of origin.

Jim Murphy: The number of scholars funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan in 2006-07, including those in their first, second or third year of study, was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Australia 30 
			 Bahamas 1 
			 Canada 47 
			 Cyprus 2 
			 New Zealand 21 
			 Singapore 4 
			 Total 105

Cuba

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Cuba.

Meg Munn: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no current plans to visit Cuba.

Departmental Manpower

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) permanent Civil Service posts,  (b) permanent non-Civil Service posts and  (c) temporary or agency workers in employment in his Department there were in each month since May 2005.

Meg Munn: The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has published civil service employment statistics, broken down by Department, in the Public Sector Employment First Release every quarter since January 2006. Prior to January 2006 the Cabinet Office published civil service employment statistics annually.
	The following table sets out the Cabinet Office figures for permanent UK civil servants and permanent UK non-civil servants employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 2005 and the corresponding ONS figures for each quarter since January 2006.
	
		
			   Permanent civil servants  Permanent non-civil servants 
			 December 2007 6,090 10 
			 September 2007 6,120 9 
			 June 2007 6,170 11 
			 March 2007 6,110 10 
			
			 December 2006 6,130 10 
			 September 2006 6,190 10 
			 June 2006 6,240 6 
			 March 2006 6,290 6 
			
			 September 2005 6,000 4 
		
	
	Individual business managers are responsible for employing agency and temporary workers. The FCO does not hold central records of their employment.

Developing Countries: Human Rights

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government have taken to promote human rights in developing countries.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	A reply to my hon. Friend's question will be issued shortly.

Ethiopia: Politics and Government

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the recent UN report on the humanitarian situation in the Somali region of Ethiopia.

Meg Munn: The UN published its report on the Somali Region of Ethiopia in September 2007. The UN has not published a further report since. We welcomed the Ethiopian Government's acceptance of the UN assessment team's appraisal and we continue to urge the Ethiopian Government to adhere to its commitments in relation to the report—opening-up of trade routes, lifting restrictions on movement, allowing food aid to reach all parts of the region and allowing non-governmental organisations greater access. However, we continue to be concerned at the risk of further human suffering and therefore look forward to full implementation of the report's findings. The UK continues to raise this with the Government of Ethiopia at regular intervals. My noble Friend Lord Malloch-Brown raised this issue when he met Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in late January. Most recently, our ambassador in Addis Ababa discussed ways to improve the situation in the Somali region with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister in March.

Ethiopia: Qatar

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Ethiopia about that country's relationship with Qatar.

Meg Munn: holding answer 25 April 2008
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any discussions with the Government of Ethiopia about their relationship with Qatar.

Gaza: Weapons

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the government of Egypt on the trafficking of people and weapons into Gaza from Egypt via under-border tunnels.

Kim Howells: Arms and people smuggling into Gaza remain a great concern. The Quadrilateral Committee, which consists of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and the US, has been working closely to address the issue of smuggling and border control. The EU commends and supports efforts by the Government of Egypt to contribute in finding a peaceful and orderly solution. Our embassy in Cairo regularly meet with Egyptian interlocutors to discuss various issues, including the situation in Gaza.

Kenya: Politics and Government

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department's advice to UK citizens living in or travelling to Kenya has changed in the last month.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office keeps travel advice under close and constant review. Our travel advice for Kenya has been changed 50 times so far in 2008. We made 36 changes in January, 10 in February, two in March and two in April. The Kenya travel advice was last updated on 18 April to make factual changes relating to clashes between the Kenyan police and the outlawed criminal Mungiki sect, and the formation of the Kenyan Grand Coalition Government.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the use of longer-range Katyusha rockets in attacks on Israel on the political situation in that country; and what representations he has received on options for the prevention of the use of such weapons.

Kim Howells: In recent months Katyusha rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel. These rockets have a longer range, which brings more Israeli towns, citizens and infrastructure facilities within striking distance. The Government continue to call on all Palestinian factions in Gaza to stop attacks, including rocket attacks. They aim to target civilians and to undermine the Annapolis process and escalate an already tense situation.
	At the same time, Israel must ensure its actions are in accordance with international law. It is important that all parties find a way to restore calm for the sake of the populations on both sides.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the recent increase in rocket attacks by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on the security situation in Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UK is deeply concerned by rocket attacks from Gaza against Israeli citizens. The launching of rockets against Israeli civilian targets and all forms of violence must stop. Violence serves only to undermine the prospects for peace and security in the region.
	The Government continue to call on all Palestinian factions to stop attacks, including rocket attacks, which target civilians and only escalate an already tense situation. At the same time, Israel must ensure its actions are in accordance with international law. It is important for both sides to exercise the utmost restraint and refrain from the use of force.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular discussions on the security situation in Gaza, including most recently with Israeli Defence Minister Barak and with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni on 17 April. Our embassy in Tel Aviv and our consulate in Jerusalem regularly meet with Israeli and Palestinian interlocutors to discuss various issues, including the situation in Gaza.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) allowances,  (b) travel costs and  (c) accommodation have been provided to staff seconded from his Department to support the work of (i) James Wolfensohn and (ii) Tony Blair in their roles as Quartet Representatives; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) did not second any staff to support the work of James Wolfensohn when he held the role of the Quartet Representative for Gaza disengagement.
	The FCO has seconded three members of staff to work in the Quartet Representative's office in London. The UK has provided 400,000 to a UN Development Programme Trust Fund which provides support to the Quartet Representative. The Quartet Representative's office in London and Jerusalem draw from this trust fund to meet their costs.
	We do not have figures for all expenses and costs associated with the Quartet Representative's office in Jerusalem or in London. The right hon. Tony Blair has been appointed by, and reports to, the Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia). It is a matter for the Quartet to determine whether to publish details of the right hon. Tony Blair's team, costs and funding.

Papua: Armed Conflict

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he  (a) has taken in the last 12 months and  (b) plans to take to promote effective dialogue between the Government of Indonesia and representatives of the people of West Papua on conflict resolution.

Meg Munn: We believe that the complex issues in Papua can best be resolved through peaceful dialogue between the people of Papua, their elected representatives and the central Government of Indonesia. The dialogue is ongoing. Indonesian Vice President Kalla, along with a team of Ministers, visited Papua most recently in February to discuss economic and social development with representatives of the Papuan people. Papuan leaders regularly visit Jakarta. The Indonesian President has committed his Government to improving the situation in Papua, which we welcome. Governor Suebu, of Papua province, is pressing ahead with his development programmes, underpinned by the significant financial resources now being directed to Papua as a result of its special autonomy status.
	We continue to encourage all sides to maintain a meaningful dialogue that focuses on implementing fully the existing special autonomy legislation. We judge that this is the best way to ensure the long-term stability and development of Papua and its people.
	At the UN Human Rights Council examination of Indonesia under the Universal Periodic Review, in Geneva on 9 April, the UK welcomed Indonesia's substantial progress on human rights since 1998, but noted ongoing concerns in Papua.
	Our embassy in Jakarta follows the situation in Papua closely and is in regular contact with human rights organisations, non-governmental organisations and academics working in the region. Embassy staff also visit Papua regularly, most recently from 15 to 20 February 2008. While there, they held discussions with local officials, non-governmental organisations and representatives of religious organisations. The Department for International Development (DFID) is providing funding for four development advisers to the Governor of Papua. Their work focuses on poverty alleviation, public finance and infrastructure. DFID is also funding HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment activities in Papua, as well as focusing on improving forest governance livelihoods to address poverty reduction and deforestation in Papua. We continue to engage with Papuan leaders on a range of issues, including conflict prevention, and we fund several projects in Papua, including human rights training for the police.

Simon Mann

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take in the week beginning 28th April to monitor the  (a) treatment and  (b) risk of torture of Mr. Simon Mann in Black Beach Prison, Equatorial Guinea; and whether Mr. Mann is still being continuously shackled.

Meg Munn: Our consul from the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos was refused consular access to Simon Mann during his last visit to Equatorial Guinea in March. We have expressed our concern to the Equatorial Guinea authorities and are urgently seeking another consular visit. His welfare remains our primary concern.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Governments in Southern Africa following the elections in Zimbabwe on political and economic stability.

Meg Munn: In the aftermath of the elections my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend Lord Malloch-Brown have been in regular contact with heads of state and foreign ministers in the region and in the wider international community, in particular with President Mbeki. We will continue to speak to leaders in the region and encourage them to use their influence to bring about a swift resolution to the crisis.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh: Mining

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received on the effects of Global Coal Management Resources plc's open cast mining at Phulbari in north-west Bangladesh on development and poverty reduction in the area.

Shahid Malik: Global Coal Management Resources (GCM) does not currently have any mining operations in Phulbari, Bangladesh, but we are aware that plans exist. We have not received any reports on the potential effects of this, but we are aware that the Asian Development Bank (AsDB) has been assessing it. The bank has recently announced that they will not go ahead with the project proposal.
	Some international and national organisations have raised concerns to us and AsDB about the environmental sustainability of the proposed project and possible negative effects for the population living in the area.
	DFID's position on this has been that the social and environmental aspects of investments made by the bank need to be thoroughly considered and the bank's own procedures for project proposals must be followed.

Constella Group: HIV Infection

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of Constella's compliance with the UN Aids guidelines on criminalisation, disclosure and testing in relation to HIV.

Gillian Merron: The UK Government have made no formal assessment as to whether Constella Futures Group complies with UNAIDS guidelines on criminalisation, disclosure and testing in relation to HIV. We understand that the issue of compliance has arisen with regard to legislation in a number of west African countries, which DFID has not financed. We are in discussion with UNAIDS about actions they can take to promote compliance with the guidelines.

Departmental Pay

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost of  (a) salaries for permanent civil service posts,  (b) salaries for permanent non-civil service posts and  (c) payments to temporary or agency workers in his Department was in each month since May 2005.

Gillian Merron: Due to the way historic records are held by the Department for International Development (DFID), the separate salary costs for permanent civil service posts and fixed term posts in each month since May 2005 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	DFID employs locally engaged staff, who work in more than 50 overseas offices. They are employed on local terms and conditions. Their salaries vary from country to country and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The following table covers the costs paid to the three suppliers of temporary administrative staff managed centrally since 2005.
	
		
			
			 May 2005 153,536.51 
			 June 2005 142,599.46 
			 July 2005 127,028.59 
			 August 2005 115,890.50 
			 September 2005 107,410.47 
			 October 2005 103,369.50 
			 November 2005 112,094.65 
			 December 2005 101,490.64 
			 January 2006 82,844.95 
			 February 2006 81,161.81 
			 March 2006 99,102.70 
			 April 2006 58,766.65 
			 May 2006 77,745.67 
			 June 2006 116,696.65 
			 July 2006 76,263.09 
			 August 2006 110,239.99 
			 September 2006 78,022.71 
			 October 2006 95,190.27 
			 November 2006 115,704.68 
			 December 2006 102,202.54 
			 January 2007 80,639.81 
			 February 2007 106,944.08 
			 March 2007 95,471.96 
			 April 2007 58,254.02 
			 May 2007 67,386.20 
			 June 2007 56,587.46 
			 July 2007 67,794.88 
			 August 2007 65,631.06 
			 September 2007 65,238.33 
			 October 2007 72,396.59 
			 November 2007 72,286.61 
			 December 2007 57,578.24 
			 January 2008 59,034.57 
			 February 2008 68,030.28 
			 March 2008 73,737.76

Departmental Telephone Services

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) 0800,  (b) 0845 and  (c) 0870 telephone numbers for the public are used by his Department.

Gillian Merron: DFID has one 0845 number which enables members of the public to call the public enquiry point in East Kilbride from anywhere in the United Kingdom, charged at standard local rates. DFID does not use any 0800 or 0870 numbers.

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to improve  (a) the availability of therapeutic foods and medical supplies and  (b) the capacity to respond to health and nutrition emergencies in rural areas in the Somali region of Ethiopia.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development has contributed 4 million in 2007 to the Humanitarian Response Fund, managed by the United Nations. With support from the fund, a number of non-governmental organisations have provided high nutrient food, immunisation and other basic health services through four mobile clinics.

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking in co-operation with  (a) Ethiopian authorities and  (b) non-governmental organisations to provide humanitarian assistance in the Somali region of Ethiopia.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development channels funds for humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia, including assistance for Somali region, through the Humanitarian Response Fund, managed by the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The fund supports the work of non-governmental organisations and United Nations (UN) organisations in Ethiopia. In 2007 we provided the fund with 4 million and as a result about 12 non-governmental organisations and a number of UN agencies were able to respond to needs in the region.

Ethiopia: Politics and Government

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what response he has made to the recent UN humanitarian assessment of the Somali region in Ethiopia.

Gillian Merron: The UK Government agree with the recommendations made in the United Nations assessment of the Somalia region in September 2007. We provided the UN-managed Humanitarian Response Fund with 4 million in 2007, to respond to humanitarian needs in Somali region and in other parts of Ethiopia. In response to an appeal from the Government and UN agencies in April 2008, we are considering a further contribution of 3 million for 2008.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Finance

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial support his Department has provided to  (a) projects and  (b) institutions involved in research into genetically modified species in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: In 2005-06, DFID contributed 1,553,000 to two programmes that included research using genetically modified (GM) techniques. These were the Plant Sciences Research Programme and the Aquaculture and Fish Genetics Research Programme. The main institutions that received grants included: Bangor University; Overseas Development Institute; Bath University; World Fish Centre; Stirling University; and, Asian Institute of Technology.
	Since 2003 DFID has given 20 million per annum in unrestricted funding to the centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. A list of these, and other international organisations receiving DFID support, is shown as follows. Some of these use GM techniques. However, it is not possible to attribute DFID funding to specific activities.
	From 2003 to 2008 DFID has provided 5 million to the African Agricultural Technology Foundation to facilitate access to both GM and conventional agricultural technologies. Last financial year DFID awarded 7.1 million of grants for research that will include the use of GM and non-GM biotechnologies. Details of these grants are provided in Table 1.
	 Names of international institutions receiving DFID support to conduct agricultural research
	Africa Rice Center (formerly West African Rice Research and Development Authority)
	World Vegetable Centre (formerly Asian Vegetable Research Development Centre)
	Bioversity International (formerly International Plant Genetics Research Institute)
	CABI(formally Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux)
	Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT)
	Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
	Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMMYT)
	Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP)
	International Centre for Development Orientated Research in Africa (ICRA)
	International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
	International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
	International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
	International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
	International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
	International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
	International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
	World Agro forestry Centre (formerly International Centre for Research on Agroforestry)
	World Fish Centre (International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management)
	Harvest Plus Challenge Programme
	Water and Food Challenge Programme
	Sub Saharan Challenge Programme
	Genetic Diversity Challenge Programme
	
		
			  Table 2:Summary of Grants Awarded under the joint DFID and Biological and Biotechnology Science Research Council Sustainable Agriculture Research for International Development programme 
			  Institutions  Country  Title  Budget () 
			 Leeds University UK Nematode resistant plantain for African subsistence growers. 524,216 
			 International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Uganda   
			 
			 John Innes Centre UK Assessment of genetic biodiversity of durable disease resistance in African wheat genotypes, leading to the development of markers for wheat breeding. 662,385 
			 University of Free State South Africa   
			 
			 Nottingham University UK Phytoplasma diseases of coconuts: Understanding their transmission, and the sustainable breeding of resistant and tolerant varieties. 355,684 
			 Oil Palm Research Institute Ghana   
			 
			 Natural Resources Institute UK How resistant plant varieties avoid suppression of RNA silencing by viruses as exemplified by sweet potato: Better food security through virus control. 727,544 
			 University of Cambridge UK   
			 Central Science Laboratory UK   
			 The International Potato Center Peru   
			 Makerere University Uganda   
			 National Agricultural Research Organisation Uganda   
			 
			 University of Warwick UK Accelerated breeding of black rot resistant brassicas for the benefit of east African smallholders. 729,705 
			 CABI Kenya   
			 Central Science Laboratory UK   
			 
			 Rothamsted UK Towards incorporating the biosynthetic transformation required for Striga inhibition from Desmodium into edible legume intercrops. 620,877 
			 International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Kenya   
			 
			 Rothamsted UK Nutrient regulation of the saprotroph to parasite transition in Pochonia chlamydosporia, a soil microbial inoculant for nematode control. 408,308 
			 University of Nairobi Kenya   
			 
			 Aberdeen UK Characterizing genetic and soil induced variation in arsenic uptake, translocation and metabolism in rice to mitigate arsenic contamination in Asia. 657,328 
			 Calcutta University India   
			 Bangladesh Agricultural University Bangladesh   
			 Chinese Academy of Sciences China   
			 International Rice Research Institute Philippines   
			 Rothamsted UK   
			 
			 National Institute of Agricultural Botany UK Cis-acting regulatory elements in the rice genome: a novel source of alleles for rice breeding. 607,807 
			 International Rice Research Institute Philippines   
			 
			 Sheffield (WARDA) UK Unravelling the molecular genetic basis of Striga resistance in cereals: integrating Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) and genomic approaches. 596,880 
			 International Crops India   
			 Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics African Rice Center Senegal   
			 National Institute of Agricultural Botany UK   
			 
			 Lancaster University UK Understanding the mechanisms of persistence and dispersal of an insect pathogen and its potential for novel strategic control of African armyworms. 617,328 
			 Natural Resources Institute, Greenwich UK   
			 Laurentian University Canada   
			 Sokoine University of Agriculture Tanzania   
			 
			 Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research UK Integrating genomics and mapping approaches to improve pearl millet productivity in drought prone regions of Africa and Asia. 634,859 
			 International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics India   
			 University of Cape Coast Ghana   
			 All India Coordinated RP on Pearl Millet India

Genetically Modified Organisms: Finance

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on providing support for research into the development and use of genetically modified species variations.

Gareth Thomas: DFID recognises that the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can have potential significant benefits for farmers in developing countries if applied safely and responsibly. At the same time, an over-riding objective is to safeguard human health and the environment and to give consumers informed choices. Our policy is that DFID will support research involving GMOs as long as international rules, including the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, are followed and it is targeted to help developing countries make their own informed choices about whether to use GM technologies.

HIV Infection: Overseas Aid

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made on achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Progress towards the goal of Universal Access to comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support will be reviewed by the international community during 2008. Data being prepared for the United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on AIDS in June will inform the review process. UNAIDS will use these data to assess progress against the interim Universal Access targets (milestones), set by countries during 2006-07, in the final quarter of 2008.

JP Morgan

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department paid to JP Morgan in each year since 1997; and what the purpose of each payment was.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) paid JP Morgan a total of 672,784 in 2001 for work completed on the Andhra Pradesh (India) Power Sector Reform project.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 5 March 2008, on economic partnership agreements.

Gareth Thomas: The reply to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire's letter of 5 March 2008 has been issued.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Government's grant to the United Nations Development Trust Fund to support the work of Quartet Representative Tony Blair is included as part of the Government's Official Development Assistance budget; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The UK grant of 400,000 to the office of the Quartet Special Representative, Tony Blair, is drawn from the DFID Palestinian aid framework and forms part of the UK development assistance budget. The mandate of Tony Blair to 'facilitate the efforts of the international community to help Palestinians to build the institutions and economy of a viable state' is consistent with the objectives of the UK aid programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people are being given food and other humanitarian assistance in Sudan by  (a) the World Food Programme and  (b) other international humanitarian agencies to which the UK contributes.

Gillian Merron: The World Food Programme (WFP) provided food assistance to 5.8 million people in Sudan during 2007. The UK Government's bilateral partners in Darfur and southern Sudan provide humanitarian assistance across a range of sectors to a total of over 2.5 million people.
	In addition, the UK Government provided 40 million to the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) for 2008. The CHF funds humanitarian agencies to address the most urgent of the humanitarian needs across Sudan that have been identified in the UN Workplan.

Zimbabwe: Education

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of children under 11 years of age in Zimbabwe were estimated to be enrolled in full-time education in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2007.

Gillian Merron: Available data cover net enrolment of children aged 7 to 12 attending primary school in 1994, 1999 and 2006. Net enrolment was 86 per cent. in 1994, 65 per cent. in 1999 and 91 per cent. in 2006.

TRANSPORT

Biofuel: Buses

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will assess the effect of the addition of a five per cent. blend of biodiesel in fuel tanks to fuel on commercial bus operations on fungus growth in such tanks.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government are aware that in some circumstances the use of biodiesel blends can be associated with bacterial contamination in fuel tanks. The problem tends to arise particularly where the biodiesel does not meet the relevant fuel quality standards. The issue is not a new one: biodiesel blends have been used for many years by bus operators in the UK and other countries. It can generally be addressed through good housekeeping practices, such as regular tank cleaning, and by the use of various fuel additives. These are matters for the transport fuel industry to resolve: commercial bus operators and others should ensure that fuel quality requirements are covered in any fuel supply contracts.

Biofuels

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the adequacy of information contained in the sustainability reports of suppliers of biofuels.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The first such reports are due to be submitted to the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) by 16 June. Thereafter, the RFA will be reporting regularly on the information it receives on the sustainability of the biofuels used in the UK.

Bus Services: Concessions

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many senior citizen bus passes were delayed on account of her Department's failure to give the necessary information to the contractors Euclid in good time.

Rosie Winterton: None. However, I understand that a number of travel concession authorities have their passes produced by Euclid. The Department had nothing to do with any arrangements made by authorities with Euclid.

Bus Services: Concessions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether a taxi operating as a bus service under the Transport Act 1985 and licensed as a restricted PSV operator under Part II of the Public Passenger Act 1981 is able to offer concessionary fares under the national concessionary fare scheme; and whether this applies to those with  (a) eight seats or more on a timetable and  (b) fewer than eight seats or not on a timetable.

Rosie Winterton: A licensed taxi has to be a vehicle with fewer than nine passenger seats.
	To operate as a taxi-bus the licensed taxi's owner has to acquire from the Traffic Commissioner a Special Restricted Public Service Vehicle operator licence (under section 12 of the Transport Act 1985). This enables the vehicle to run a registered bus service (as a taxi-bus) at certain times of the day and be used for conventional taxi work at other times.
	The Local Services (Operation by Taxis) Regulations 1986 requires the display of a bus sign and prohibits the use of an illuminated taxi sign during the vehicle's use as a taxi-bus.
	The Travel Concessions (Eligible Services) Order 2002 describes circumstances where a taxi-bus could be considered an eligible service for concessionary travel. It is for the local Travel Concession Authority to determine whether a taxi-bus service meets the requirements which include:
	being available to the general public at bus stops;
	running to a published timetable; and,
	offering transport to and from any stops on the route, with fares payable to the driver and not set at a level which is likely to act as a deterrent to bus users.

Departmental Public Participation

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many public consultations were held by her Department in each of the last three years; and how many respondents took part in each consultation.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department undertook the following number of consultations in each of the last three years:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2007 58 
			 2006 42 
			 2005 50 
		
	
	The number of respondents to these consultations varies greatly, from two in the case of our consultation on the Report on Channel Tunnel Order 2007 to transpose Railway Safety Directive for the UK to about 70,000 on the Adding capacity at Heathrow airportConsultation document and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Government responses to each consultation, including how many respondents took part in each one, are available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/closed/

Health Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department provides health or social care services out of public funds, with reference to the statement by the Minister of State, Department of Health, in the Health and Social Care Bill Committee, of 17 January 2008,  Official Report, column 327.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Across the Department for Transport there are employee assistance providers who provide support to employees. The service, funded by the Department, provides professional advice, guidance and in some cases counselling sessions for staff who could be facing a variety of personal problems.
	The Department also has access to qualified occupational health advisers who provide medical and health related advice that includes advice on sick absence cases, pre-employment health checks, work station assessments and medical check-ups in specific work areas.
	Exceptionally, the Department may pay towards the cost of physiotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy both to assist in the employee's return to work and as a preventative measure. It would need to be clearly demonstrated that the therapy would result in an earlier return to work than would otherwise be the case. In these cases we would work with our occupational health advisers to agree the best course of action.
	These professional services and support mechanisms support the Department in its drive to promote employee well-being, reduce sickness absence and facilitate a return to work as soon as possible.

Lorries

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of lorries which will be required to comply with European legislation on the retro-fitting of safety mirrors; and how many lorries will be exempt because they were registered before 2000;
	(2)  for what reasons the Government do not plan to require older lorries with suitable cabs to have additional safety mirrors fitted;
	(3)  what the Government's timetable is to implement European legislation on retro-fitting of safety mirrors to lorries registered in the UK before 2000 in order to meet the deadline of March 2009 stipulated in the relevant Directive.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There are approximately 419,000 currently registered goods vehicles and 161,000 of these are exempt from the retro-fit requirement because the cab-height is too low for the mirrors to be installed. Around 157,000 vehicles will be upgraded by the retro-fit requirement and the remaining 100,000 are exempt because they were registered prior to 2000.
	The Council of Ministers considered an earlier introduction date than 1 January 2000 for the new requirements but concluded that the cost of converting older vehicles would be disproportionate to their remaining life. The Government are therefore implementing the European directive for vehicles registered from this date.
	We are in the process of transposing, the retro-fit directive for existing heavy goods vehicles. This will be enforced from 31 March 2009.

Lorries: Accidents

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving  (a) British and  (b) foreign-registered lorries on roads in the UK resulted in (i) fatalities and (ii) injuries in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of reported personal injury road accidents involving  (a) British Heavy Goods Vehicles and  (b) foreign registered Heavy Goods Vehicles in Great Britain resulting in fatalities and injuries are:
	
		
			  Number of accidents 
			   British HGV( 1)  Foreign registered HGV( 1) 
			   Fatalities  Injuries( 2)  Fatalities  Injuries( 2) 
			 2005 407 9,428 27 1,071 
			 2006 365 9,146 31 1,010 
			 (1) HGV = Heavy Goods Vehicle over 3.5 tonnes maximum permissible weight gross vehicle weight (gvw).  (2) Injury = serious and slight injury.   Note:  Where there are accidents involving both British and foreign registered vehicles, they will appear in each of their categories. 
		
	
	Prior to 2005, it was not possible to identify foreign registered Heavy Goods Vehicles separately.

M180

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason the M180 was closed on 31 March 2008; on whose authority the closure took place; and what guidance she issues on the appropriate action to be taken in closing motorways following an incident.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The M180 was closed on 31 March 2008 between junctions 2 and 1 both westbound and eastbound from 9.20 am to 4.36 pm following a fatal accident involving five vehicles.
	The M180 was closed by South Yorkshire Police to enable them to manage the incident safely and to facilitate their investigation into the incident.
	The Highways Agency's Traffic Officer Service works closely with local police forces when dealing with these incidents, applying the principles set out in the national guidance framework document that was signed by both the Highways Agency and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) when the Traffic Officer Service was established. The decision as to whether a motorway should be closed is, however, a local one, taking into account factors such as the particular circumstances of the incident, traffic conditions, the safety of the travelling public and the safety of the emergency service personnel involved in dealing with the incident.

Public Transport: Concessions

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to provide free local travel to those with long-term mental health conditions.

Rosie Winterton: The Transport Act 2000 (or for those resident in London, the Greater London Authority Act 1999) makes provision for statutory concessionary travel to a wide range of disabled people. Categories of disability were drawn up following representation from local government and support from the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee. The people eligible are as follows:
	any person who:
	is blind or partially sighted;
	is profoundly or severely deaf;
	is without speech;
	has a disability, or has suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his/her ability to walk;
	does not have arms or has long-term loss of the use of both arms;
	has a learning disability, that is, a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning;
	would, if he/she applied for a grant of a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, have his/her application refused pursuant to section 92 of the Act (physical fitness) otherwise than on the ground of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol.
	Local authorities are free to offer their residents discretionary concessions over and above the statutory minimum at their own expense. This can include offering concessionary travel to other categories of people, such as those with mental health problems.
	We have no plans at present to change the eligibility criteria for statutory concessionary bus travel to include people with long-term mental health conditions.

Radio: Highways Agency

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Highways Agency will spend on radio broadcasting in 2008-09; for what reason such allocations have been made; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Traffic Radio project value for 2008-09 is 2.945 million.
	The Highways Agency broadcast service, Traffic Radio, has been delivered in line with ministerial commitments and Highways Agency business targets to supply information services to the public.
	Alongside its other information services, the aim of Traffic Radio is to supply high quality information to the public, before they travel. This allows them to make an informed decision on when or if to travel and to further consider mode of transport or route. Alerting road users to potential delays or incidents before they set out will help them to avoid those delays, thereby reducing the impact of that delay for all road users.
	Traffic Radio is delivered on Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) and the internet to the public in a constant loop allowing listeners to obtain the information, at a time convenient to them. This allows them to make a considered journey choice before setting out.
	The business case for the service predicted a positive benefit to the public through reduced congestion. Further benefits are expected with the expansion of DAB and internet radio both at the home and in car.

Roads: Accidents

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people aged  (a) under 16,  (b) between 16 and 25 and  (c) over 25 years died in road accidents in (i) Lancashire and (ii) England in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of fatalities by age group resulting from personal injury road accidents in Lancashire and England : 2002-06 
			   Casualty age 
			   Lancashire excl .  Blackburn and Blackpool  England 
			   0 to 15  16 to 25  26 +  Total( 1)  0 to 15  16 to 25  26 +  Total( 1) 
			 2002 4 19 30 53 156 801 1,992 2,980 
			 2003 7 22 46 75 141 807 2,039 3,004 
			 2004 4 18 32 54 145 775 1,776 2,714 
			 2005 4 17 62 83 123 762 1,841 2,735 
			 2006 4 21 32 57 134 799 1,753 2,695 
			 (1) Includes missing ages.

Roads: Yorkshire and Humberside

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the damage caused to the highway network in the East Riding of Yorkshire as a result of flooding in 2007; and what additional sum is to be paid to the East Riding of Yorkshire council to compensate for the damage.

Rosie Winterton: In January 2008 East Riding of Yorkshire council submitted a claim to my Department for funding of 6.095 million to repair damage to their roads caused by flooding in 2007. The authority received an interim settlement in March in respect of 2.25 million. This covered 1.087 million funding to the authority to cover the costs identified and supported by evidence and a local contribution of 1.163 million representing 15 per cent. of their 2007-08 Local Transport Plan capital highway maintenance allocation.
	Discussions have been held with the authority regarding the evidence they need to provide to support the remaining 3.845 million costs in their claim. The Department will consider whether further funding should be paid to the authority in the light of further evidence.

Schools: Transport

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will extend the requirement to wear seat belts to include buses used to transport pupils to school in vehicles hired from or operated by bus companies and local authorities.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport is presently considering responses to its consultation on regulations to require children under 14 years of age to use seat belts in buses and coaches where they are fitted. There are no plans for legislation to require that all vehicles used for school transport must have seat belts fittedthat can already be achieved by school authorities for contracted vehicles.

Severn Bridge: Tolls

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Severn Bridges Act 1992 to allow tolls for Severn Bridge crossings to be paid by credit and debit cards.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 24 April 2008
	We want it to be as convenient as possible for people to pay tolls at the Severn Crossing. But there are some practical obstacles to this and a working group has been set up to look at solving these.
	Further consideration will be given once the working group have submitted their findings and recommendations. This is expected to be by early autumn.

Traffic Commissioners: Redundancy

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic commissioners were dismissed in each of the last 30 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We do not have this information for the period before 1990. Since 1990 no traffic commissioners have been dismissed.

Transport: EU Action

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Trans-European transport networks will cost; and what the UK's contribution will be.

Rosie Winterton: The 2007 TEN Financing Regulation estimates the cost of completing the Trans-European transport network between 2007 and 2020 will be 600 billion. This includes investment from both public and private sources, as well as public-private partnerships.
	There is no specific UK contribution to the programme. The UK makes its contributions to the EC budget as a whole and not to individual spending programmes within it.

Transport: Finance

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to ensure that regional transport funding is distributed on an equitable basis.

Rosie Winterton: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to his question of 12 March 2008,  Official Report, column 448W.
	We have already increased investment in transport in all regions. By 2008, transport spending will be 80 per cent. higher in real terms than in 1997, and we will continue to take account of the needs of all regions in making investment decisions.
	The introduction of regional funding allocations has allowed regions to align these increased funding levels to their key priorities and needs, delivering the best outcome for each region.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Scheme: Marketing

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department is doing to publicise Access to Work.

Stephen Timms: The Access to Work national delivery team is currently implementing an internal marketing strategy to ensure that all Jobcentre staff involved with disabled customers are fully briefed on the Access to Work programme. This will cover the aims of the programme, eligibility criteria and the application process.
	The programme is also being promoted through presentations and exhibitions, and through close working partnerships developed with the major disability groups such as the Royal National Institute for Blind people, Royal National Institute for Deaf people and MIND.
	Articles have appeared in external publications such as 'Disability Wales' and the National Spinal Association magazine illustrating how Access to Work can practically support disabled people into paid employment. Additionally, Jobcentre Plus includes information on Access to Work in internally produced magazines such as 'Inspire'. This magazine, which is targeted at job seekers, is available, along with other leaflets on Access to Work, in all Jobcentre Plus offices. The magazine 'Engage', also produced by Jobcentre Plus and aimed at employers, regularly carries information about Access to Work, along with other Jobcentre Plus services.
	Information about Access to Work is available on the Jobcentre Plus and Directgov websites. Directgov as a source of information about Jobcentre Plus services for disabled people is widely publicised, for example, in the latest issue of 'Ability Needs' magazine. Disability employment advisers, who are often the gateway to Access to Work, are regularly in contact with small to medium sized employers locally and will raise awareness of Access to Work when appropriate.

Apprentices: Construction

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of applications for apprenticeships in the construction industry in each year since 1997; and how many places were available in each of those years.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	Information about the number of people applying for apprenticeships is not collected or held centrally. Information about the number of people starting apprenticeships in the construction industry is provided in the following table. Figures for years prior to 2002-03 are not available.
	
		
			  Construction apprenticeships starts 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 23,706 
			 2003-04 15,229 
			 2004-05 18,742 
			 2005-06 15,731 
			 2006-07 21,004 
			  Notes: 1. Includes all age groups and both apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships. 2. Figures include engineering construction and construction; framework codes 107 and 116.  Source: Work Based Learning Individualised Learner Record.

Departmental Leaflets

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of his Department's public information leaflets are available online on  (a) his Department's and  (b) the Directgov website.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions public information leaflets are mainly published through its agencies' websites (Jobcentre Plus, Child Support Agency and The Pension Service) and the DWP website links to these. Of the 66 Public Information leaflets produced by the Department 57 are currently available. A further nine are due to be published shortly and these will replace other leaflets currently on the sites.
	Directgov does not hold leaflets on its site but incorporates information into its core pages or has external links to customer leaflets and information stored on other websitesDWP, Inland Revenue, Jobcentre Plus, Veterans Agency, HMRC, CSA, Department of Health, Pensions Service et al. Directgov also links to welsh versions of leaflets with links to English versions of leaflets where the Welsh version is not available.

Departmental Manpower

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of his Department's work force were employed in each region in each year since 2004.

Anne McGuire: Details of how many and what proportion of the Department's work force was employed in each region in each year ending 31 March, since 31 March 2004 is set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  Period ending March 2004  Total FTE( 1)  Proportion of Department (percentage) 
			 East midlands 6,415 4.9 
			 East of England 6,715 5.2 
			 London 13,789 11 
			 North-east 13,600 10.5 
			 North-west 25,825 19.9 
			 Scotland 14,334 11.1 
			 South-east 8,626 6.7 
			 South-west 8,012 6.2 
			 Wales 7,313 5.6 
			 West midlands 11,004 8.5 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 13,989 10.8 
			
			 Total 129,624  
			 (1)FTE figures and percentages may not sum due to rounding 
		
	
	
		
			  Period ending March 2005  Total FTE( 1)  Proportion of Department (percentage) 
			 East midlands 5,960 5 
			 East of England 6,162 5.1 
			 London 12,807 11 
			 North-east 12,691 10.5 
			 North-west 23,808 19.8 
			 Scotland 13,278 11 
			 South-east 7,835 6.5 
			 South-west 7,448 6.2 
			 Wales 7,014 5.8 
			 West midlands 10,152 8.4 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 13,138 10.9 
			
			 Total 120,292  
			 (1)FTE figures and percentages may not sum due to rounding 
		
	
	
		
			  Period ending March 2006  Total FTE( 1)  Proportion of Department (percentage) 
			 East midlands 5,700 5 
			 East of England 5,537 4.8 
			 London 11,687 10 
			 North-east 12,304 10.7 
			 North-west 23,341 20.3 
			 Scotland 12,718 11.1 
			 South-east 7,229 6.3 
			 South-west 7,438 6.5 
			 Wales 6,630 5.8 
			 West midlands 9,818 8.6 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 12,366 10.8 
			
			 Total 114,767  
			 (1)FTE figures and percentages may not sum due to rounding 
		
	
	
		
			  Period ending March 2007  Total FTE( 1)  Proportion of Department (percentage) 
			 East midlands 5,393 5 
			 East of England 5,022 4.6 
			 London 10,642 10 
			 North-east 11,604 10.7 
			 North-west 22,762 21 
			 Scotland 11,697 10.8 
			 South-east 6,943 6.4 
			 South-west 7,102 6.5 
			 Wales 6,276 5.8 
			 West midlands 9,418 8.7 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 11,614 10.7 
			
			 Total 108,472  
			 (1)FTE figures and percentages may not sum due to rounding 
		
	
	
		
			  Period ending March 2008  Total FTE( 1)  Proportion of Department (percentage) 
			 East midlands 5,211 5.1 
			 East of England 4,787 4.7 
			 London 10,195 10 
			 North-east 11,165 10.9 
			 North-west 20,931 20.4 
			 Scotland 11,148 10.9 
			 South-east 6,507 6.4 
			 South-west 6,091 6 
			 Wales 6,298 6.2 
			 West midlands 9,110 8.9 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 10,927 10.7 
			
			 Total 102,371  
			 (1)FTE figures and percentages may not sum due to rounding

Departmental Public Participation

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many public consultations were held by his Department in each of the last three years; and how many respondents took part in each consultation.

Anne McGuire: The number of public consultations conducted by the Department for Work and Pensions in the last three years has been as follows:
	
		
			   Consultations launched 
			 2005-06 22 
			 2006-07 18 
			 2007-08 23 
		
	
	Providing a full answer to the second part of the question could be done only at disproportionate cost. The number of responses to our consultations questions varies greatly. For example, we received over 450 formal written submissions to our recent Welfare Reform Green Paper consultation, but this represents only a small part of the picture, because in addition we received over 2,000 posts in two internet-based discussion forums, and a large amount of face-to-face input at a range of different meetings. Whereas, for our more specialist, and often limited, consultations in the Private Pensions area typically between 50 and 100 responses are received.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time posts in his Department were filled on a temporary basis for a period in excess of six months in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: Information on the number of full-time posts filled on a temporary basis, for a period in excess of six months, by the Department for Work and Pensions for each of the last three years ending 31 March is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Year end  Temporary staff (full-time equivalent) 
			 31 March 2006 1,532 
			 31 March 2007 561 
			 31 March 2008 477 
		
	
	For years ending 31 March 2006 and 2007, the figures include all temporary staff. For the year ending 31 March 2008, members of staff with a fixed term contract in excess of 12 months have been excluded in line with revised Office of National Statistics (ONS) definitions.

Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the levels of public awareness of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as measured by the disability module of the Office of National Statistics Omnibus Survey.

Anne McGuire: Using the most up to date data available from the Office for National Statistics Omnibus Survey for between January and September 2007, 72.3 per cent. of the general population were aware of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as amended.

Disabled

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets his Department has set in relation to the employment of people with disabilities over the next five years.

Anne McGuire: The 10 Point Plan for a Diverse Civil Service published in November 2005 set a target that 3.2 per cent. of senior civil service (SCS) posts were to be filled by disabled people by April 2008. In line with all civil service Departments DWP produced its own plan and targets for the period from 2005 to 2008. As well as its higher target for the SCS, the Department also set targets for the grades below the SCS. The March 2008 DWP targets and figures are in the following table:
	
		
			  DWP  s taff with disabilities March 2008 figures 
			  Percentage 
			  Grade  March 2008  DWP 2008 targets  Civil service 2008 target 
			 SCS 2.8 6.0 3.2 
			 G/G6-F/G7-E/SEO 4.0 4.0  
			 D/HEO-C/EO 6.5 7.0  
			 B/AO-A/AA 4.5 6.0  
			 All DWP 5.3 n/a  
		
	
	The figures are based on the proportion of staff who have voluntarily declared themselves as being disabled. However, we are aware that not all disabled staff declare their disability for departmental records, and the true figure may be higher than the figures shown. For example, the 2008 DWP Staff Survey (which is completed anonymously), showed that 13.6 per cent. of respondents considered themselves to have a long standing health condition or disability.
	The roll out of a new computer system has meant a more accurate record of the numbers of disabled people working within the Department who made a declaration. As we rolled out the new system we asked each member of staff to check the personal information we held about them and to declare whether they considered themselves to be disabled. A further recent communications exercise has also emphasised the importance of individuals providing this information, and we will be repeating the request for people to declare their status later this year.
	Although we have achieved good levels of diversity across the Department, including those for disabled people, we aim to improve this position and details of actions are in Department for Work and Pensions Race, Disability and Gender Equality Schemes 2008-11.
	The Cabinet Office is currently drawing up a new diversity strategy that will build on the achievements and lessons learnt from the 10 Point Plan. Once this has been agreed the Department will be setting further targets to 2011 and the strategy for achieving them.

Fraud

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions staff employed by his Department defrauded his Department in the last 10 years. [Official Report, 3 June 2008, Vol. 476, c. 9MC.]

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions was created in April 2001 and information has been held centrally only from April 2003. To try to obtain information for earlier years would incur a disproportionate cost. Figures are not yet available for 2007-08.
	Information is not available in the exact format requested but the figures shown in the following table show the number of instances of attempted or actual fraud where the investigation was completed in the year stated, together with the average number of staff in post in each year. The figures relate to all the benefits administered by DWP, theft of assets and financial irregularities:
	
		
			   Employee fraud against the benefits system  Other fraud by employees  Staff in post 
			 2003-04 23 78 130,786 
			 2004-05 4 44 126,988 
			 2005-06 52 99 119,972 
			 2006-07 51 75 114,500

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of  (a) workless couples and  (b) workless lone parents claiming housing benefit in the last period for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: There were 430,000 workless couples and 670,000 workless lone parents in receipt of housing benefit. These represented 38 per cent. of workless couples and 78 per cent. of workless lone parents.
	These estimates have been derived from information in the Family Resources Survey 2005-06.

Incapacity Benefit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of those removed from incapacity benefit by 2015 who will  (a) return to work,  (b) retire and  (c) move on to other benefits.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available. We do not produce off-flow forecasts broken down by reason.

Incapacity Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2008,  Official Report, column 780W, on social security benefits, how many people were claiming incapacity benefit in each year since 1998, broken down by country.

Anne McGuire: Information is not available prior to 2007. The available information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit: Medical Assessments

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract signed with ATOS Origin to provide medical assessments for incapacity benefit claimants.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 21 April 2008
	A copy of the medical services contract, excluding those paragraphs which are considered commercially sensitive, has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Incapacity Benefit: Standards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether those claiming employment and support allowance will be included in incapacity benefit figures when assessing performance against the target to reduce the number on incapacity benefit by 2015.

Anne McGuire: Our goal is to reduce the combined employment and support allowance and incapacity benefits caseload by 1 million over a decade, starting from 2.74 million incapacity benefits claimants in May 2005.
	As such the combined total of those claiming employment and support allowance and those claiming incapacity benefits will be used to measure our progress towards this aim.

Incapacity Benefits: Medical Examinations

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that employment and support allowance assessments take account of the characteristics of different health conditions, with particular reference to the fluctuations inherent in the symptomatic severity of myalgic encephalopathy; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The new Work Capability Assessment for Employment and Support Allowance will be a fair, robust and accurate assessment of limited capability for work which takes account of all conditions, including those that are long term and that fluctuate such as myalgic encephalopathy.
	The Work Capability Assessment is not a snapshot of a person's condition on the day of the assessment. In assessing whether a person can carry out any given activity, health care professionals must take into account the person's condition over a reasonable period of time. They must take into account the effects of symptoms such as pain and fatigue. In this way the Work Capability Assessment takes account of the effects of fluctuating conditions.
	If there is a change in a person's disabling condition, there will be a provision to refer the person to an approved healthcare professional so that we can determine afresh whether or not the person has limited capability for work, or limited capability for work-related activity.

Industrial Injuries: Construction

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work-related  (a) deaths and  (b) injuries occurred in the construction industry in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08.

Anne McGuire: Information currently available on work-related deaths and injuries in the construction industry in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Injuries in construction (SIC 45) 2005-06 to 2006-07( 1)  by severity of injury and employment status, as reported under RIDDOR 95( 2)  regulations 
			  Severity  Employment Status  2005/06  2006/07( 1)  2007/08( 3, 4) 
			 Fatal Employee 43 50 46 
			  Self employed 17 27 11 
			  Member of the public 4 7 3 
			  Total 64 84 60 
			  
			 Major Employee 3,706 3711 (5)n/a 
			  Self employed 766 719 (5)n/a 
			  Total 4,472 4,430 (5)n/a 
			 Over-3-day Employee 7,555 7,108 (5)n/a 
			  Self Employed 829 749 (5)n/a 
			  Total 8,384 7,857 (5)n/a 
			  
			 Non-fatal Member of the public 200 187 5n/a 
			  Total 200 187 n/a (b) 
			 (1 )Provisional.  (2) RIDDORReporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995.  (3) 1 April to 31 December 2007.  (4) 2007-08 figures based on the first nine months. These figures are unvalidated at this stage, so final details may change.  (5) Unvalidated non-fatal injury figures for 1 April to 31 December 2007 are available on HSE's website. The figures do not include data from all enforcing authorities, so are not comparable with previously-published figures. 
		
	
	Very preliminary indications for 2007-08 are that the number of fatal accidents to workers in the construction industry dropped by around 10 per cent. from the level of 2006-07.

Jobcentre Plus

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what Jobcentre Plus offices there are in each region;
	(2)  how many Jobcentre and Jobcentre Plus offices there were in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 28 April 2008:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking what Jobcentre Plus offices there are in each Region and how many Jobcentre and Jobcentre Plus offices there were in each year since 1997. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as chief executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Jobcentre Plus estate comprises not only Jobcentres, but also Benefit Delivery Centres, Contact Centres, Regional Offices and a number of Medical Examination Centres. The table below shows the total number of Jobcentre Plus offices in each Jobcentre Plus region in England and the countries of Scotland and Wales as at 1 April 2008.
	
		
			  Region  Offices 
			 East of England 80 
			 East Midlands 67 
			 London 102 
			 North East 52 
			 North West 136 
			 Scotland 117 
			 South East 99 
			 South West 99 
			 Wales 85 
			 West Midlands 90 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 85 
			 Total England and Wales 1,012 
		
	
	I am only able to provide information on the number of Jobcentre and Jobcentre Plus offices in our network from April 2002, when Jobcentre Plus was created by the merger of the former Employment Service and Benefits Agency.
	The transformation of the inherited estate of around 1,500 offices is illustrated in the following table. The creation of the modern network of Jobcentre Plus offices involved the closure and disposal of a number of less suitable offices. The transformed Jobcentre Plus offices are the high street network of modern, open plan integrated offices and the non transformed Jobcentres are the original Jobcentres, which did not provide the integrated jobseeker and benefit administration service.
	
		
			  Date  Total number of transformed Jobcentre Plus offices  Remaining number of non transformed Jobcentres 
			 31 March 2003 211 1272 
			 30 April 2004 437 935 
			 31 May 2005 551 691 
			 31 March 2006 775 251 
			 31 March 2007 854 44 
			 2 April 2008 862 10

Poverty: Disabled

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the contribution of efforts to tackle disability poverty to meeting child poverty reduction targets.

Anne McGuire: It is not possible to isolate the effect of policies specifically designed to address poverty amongst disabled people (such as support to help disabled people into work and the disability elements of the child tax credit and working tax credit), as they are closely linked with other policies affecting the working age population (such as the tax credit system as a whole and the national minimum wage).
	However, the Department's analysis has demonstrated that around half of the reduction in child poverty as measured by relative low income (300,000 children) has occurred among children living in families with a disabled adult and/or a disabled child.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made towards meeting his Department's Public Service Agreement on reducing fraud and error in income support, jobseeker's allowance and housing benefit.

James Plaskitt: The Department's estimates of our progress against Public Service Agreement 10 on reducing fraud and error in the benefits system are published in a series of reports called Fraud and Error in the Benefit System. The most recent report, Fraud and Error in the Benefit System October 2005 to September 2006 was published in December 2007; a copy has been placed in the Library.
	The report can also be viewed on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/fem/fem__oct05_sep06.pdf

DEFENCE

Military Medical Policy

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms his Department has in place to use lessons learned from operational theatres in the development of military medical policy.

Derek Twigg: Military medical policy is continually developing in the light of evidence emerging from the front-line experiences of our deployed medical personnel and coalition allies, and we work closely with the NHS to feed these into clinical practice. For example the Major Trauma Audit for Clinical Effectiveness is a process of continuous clinical audit to enable quality improvement; and our weekly Joint Theatre Clinical Case Conferences share experience and expertise between clinicians deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and experts in the UK.

Military Medical Policy

Chris Mole: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to maintain the level of medical care provided to armed forces personnel in theatres of operation.

Derek Twigg: The Defence Medical Services have met all their operational commitments and will continue to do so. We have initiatives in hand to recruit into shortfall specialties and, with Department of Health support, encourage volunteering for the medical Reserves. The high standard of life-saving treatment provided in the field is matched by the clinical care provided for those casualties evacuated back to the UK, both at Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham and in MOD's own facilities such as the rehabilitation centre at Headley Court.

Injured Service Personnel: Compensation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on levels of compensation payments to injured service personnel.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what compensation payments may be made to injured service personnel; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Mr. Evennett).

Military Inquests

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to assist the families of service personnel killed on active service to be represented at inquests.

Bob Ainsworth: We place the highest priority on supporting the families of those who have given their lives in the service of their country. We try to help bereaved families through the difficult experience of a coroner's inquest. Due to the nature of inquest proceedings, assistance under the legal aid scheme, overseen by the Ministry of Justice, is available only in exceptional circumstances.

Military Inquests

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on reducing the number of pending military inquests.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Falkirk (Mr. Joyce).

Service Accommodation

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the standards of service accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Much service living accommodation is already of a high standard, but some remains below the standard that our service personnel and their families deserve. For this reason, we continue to invest heavily in all types of accommodation with a further 8 billion planned over the next decade, including over 3 billion on new or upgraded accommodation and over 2 billion on refurbishment and maintenance.
	In the past seven years we have upgraded some 13,000 family properties. Since 2003, we have delivered some 20,000 new or improved Single Living bed-spaces with 30,000 more planned by 2013.

Patrol and Reconnaissance Vehicles

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the use of mine and explosive protective patrol and reconnaissance vehicles in theatre.

Bob Ainsworth: We ensure that commanders in operational theatres have a flexible and balanced vehicle fleet that provides the range of capabilities needed. Protected patrol vehicles form part of that approach, although the protection afforded by appropriate operational tactics and procedures is also important in the protection of our armed forces.
	We continue to invest heavily in protected mobility to support our forces both in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the procurement of Vector, Mastiff, M-WMIK and Ridgback vehicles.

Afghanistan

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional commitments were made by NATO members to the mission in Afghanistan at the recent NATO summit; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: At NATO's Bucharest Summit, President Sarkozy confirmed the deployment of an additional battalion of French troops to the east of Afghanistan. This enabled President Bush to announce the movement of a substantial US force from the east to Kandahar in the south. A number of other allies, including Poland, Romania and Slovakia also announced increased contributions. Canada confirmed that it would remain in Kandahar until 2011.

Afghanistan

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effects of the application of UN Security Council resolution 1325 in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: The Government have made no formal assessment of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in Afghanistan. Nonetheless, the UK is keen to fulfil its commitment under this resolution to protect the rights of women and girls in areas suffering conflict, and to incorporate their perspectives in conflict resolution and peacekeeping planning.
	To this end we fund various programmes, including a five-year Women's Empowerment programme that began in 2005, implemented by the NGO Womankind. This initiative focuses on promoting women's equal participation in governance and building awareness of women's rights among civil society and policy makers.

Ballistic Missile Defence System

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with NATO counterparts on the ballistic missile defence system.

Des Browne: The issue of ballistic missile defence is discussed regularly at ministerial level in NATO.

Iraq

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future role of British forces in Iraq.

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the future deployment of British forces in Iraq.

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the future role of British forces in Iraq.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper).

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox) of 30 January 2008,  Official Report, column 364W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, whether the balance of helicopter force levels has been decided; and whether any Merlin helicopters will be deployed in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: The Merlin fleet will remain committed to southern Iraq for the foreseeable future. As always, we keep force levels and structures under regular review.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the command relationship between British Forces and elements of the US 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit operating in Helmand Province will be.

Des Browne: Both Task Force Helmand and the US 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit are under the control of the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of attacks made by  (a) Taliban and  (b) Al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan occurred in Helmand province in 2007.

Des Browne: This information is not held in the format requested.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many weapons caches have been found in Helmand province in each year since 2006.

Des Browne: In 2006, security forces operating in Helmand province discovered four weapons caches, and in 2007, 24 were found. Up to 30 January 2008, the latest date for which data have been recorded this year, one cache had been found.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2008,  Official Report, column 450W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, whether the balance of the UK helicopter force levels across theatre, including the deployment of Merlin helicopters to Afghanistan, has been decided.

Des Browne: The Merlin fleet will remain committed to southern Iraq for the foreseeable future. As always, we keep force levels and structures under regular review.

Air Force: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required and  (b) actual number of pilots in the RAF is for each type of aircraft.

Bob Ainsworth: Information on pilot numbers for each type of aircraft is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	In 2006 the projected requirement for RAF pilots for the end of Financial Year 2007-08 was 2,268. The total number of RAF pilots as at 1 March 2008 was 2,080. Reliable figures for a more recent estimate are unavailable following the phased implementation of the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system.

Armed Forces: Divorce

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the divorce rate among service personnel was in each year since 1997, broken down by service; and how many divorces involving a member of the armed services were recorded in each year.

Derek Twigg: The following table shows annual divorce rates and number of divorces for Army and RAF personnel for each year since 1997. Naval service data are not available as the naval service groups 'Separated', 'Divorced' and 'Widowed' together.
	
		
			  Divorces within the Army and RAF, and rate as a percentage of average married strength: 1997 to 2006 
			   Army( 2)  RAF 
			   Number  Rate (percentage)  Number  Rate (percentage) 
			 1997 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998 n/a n/a 610 1.6 
			 1999 1,120 2.1 570 1.6 
			 2000 1,180 2.3 640 1.8 
			 2001 1,130 2.2 620 1.8 
			 2002 1,310 2.6 590 1.8 
			 2003 1,210 2.4 520 1.7 
			 2004 1,200 2.4 580 1.9 
			 2005 1,040 2.1 570 1.9 
			 2006(1) 930 1.9 n/a n/a 
			 n/a = not available (1) Figures for 2006 are for the most recently available 12 months which cover the period up to 1 December 2006. (2) For the years 1999, 2000 and 2001, annulments are excluded from the calculations for divorce rates, as the information was not available, however the remaining years do include annulments in their calculation. 
		
	
	Figures are for UK Regular Forces, and therefore exclude Gurkhas, full-time Reserve Service personnel, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. Figures are for trained and untrained personnel excluding officer designates.
	Rates are calculated as a percentage of the average married strength during the calendar years. The term 'divorce' includes 'decree absolute' and 'marriage annulled'. It excludes 'decree nisi' and individuals who are separated.
	Figures after 1 December 2006 are unavailable following the phased implementation of the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system.
	To collect and collate marital status from units, in order to produce figures for divorce rates, could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel returning to the UK from action abroad have required medical treatment in each of the last 60 months.

Derek Twigg: We do not collect statistics in the form requested, but we publish a range of casualty statistics, which are updated fortnightly, on the MOD website at:
	http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/factsheets/operations factsheets/operationsinafghanistanbritishcasualties. htm_for_Afghanistan
	and
	http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/factsheets/operations factsheets/operationsiniraqbritishcasualties.htm_for_Iraq

Armed Forces: Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has paid in each year for improvements and modernisation of residential dwellings since Annington Homes acquired the former Ministry of Defence housing stock.

Derek Twigg: In Financial Year 2007-08 we spent some 32 million on Service Family Accommodation (SFA) as part of life-cycle maintenance activity (for example replacing bathrooms, kitchens or boilers) in addition to some 18 million spent on upgrades.
	The former Defence Housing Executive (DHE) was responsible for the maintenance and new build of housing in Great Britain until 2004 after which the responsibility passed to Defence Estates (DE).
	Details of expenditure on upgrading SFA to SlfC are available only from Financial Year 2001-02 when DHE published its first Agency accounts. Expenditure was as follows:
	
		
			  Financial Year   million 
			 2001-02 25.3 
			 2002-03 25.5 
			 2003-04 33.5 
			 2004-05 18.1 
			 2005-06 32.4 
			 2006-07 16.4 
		
	
	The maintenance and investment in Service Families Accommodation overseas and in Northern Ireland is carried out by the respective budget holders. It is therefore held separately and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	During the period from 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2008 the Department upgraded over 15,000 houses in Great Britain to SlfC.

Armed Forces: Influenza

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to paragraph four of the Defence Medical Services Department's policy letter of 20 January 2006 entitled The use of influenza vaccines and anti-virals in the event of an influenza pandemic , reference DMSD/13/1/4 if he will reassess the assumption on the proportion of the armed forces who may be affected during the course of a pandemic and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: MOD pandemic influenza planning assumptions on overall clinical attack rates are based on modelling provided by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), which underpin the National Planning Framework. In 2006 this accorded with the national plan that 25 to 33 per cent. of the armed forces overall may be affected during the course of a pandemic. However, in line with the revised National Planning Framework issued in 2007, which raised the upper potential impact to 50 per cent., our planning is being adjusted to reflect this higher potential clinical attack rate.

Armed Forces: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) target and  (b) actual voluntary outflow rate for (i) officers and (ii) other ranks in each service was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Ainsworth: The Department does not set targets for the maximum number of people that leave early (Voluntary Outflow).
	Voluntary exit rates broken down by officers and other ranks can be found in Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 5Trained Outflow to Civil Life. Monthly figures show the number of personnel who have outflowed in the previous 12 month period. TSP 5 is published monthly. The most recent publication presents outflow for the 12 months to February 2008 and can be found at
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tsp5/tsp5tab5.html
	Copies of TSP 5 are available in the Library of the House and are also at
	www.dasa.mod.uk

Armed Forces: Manpower

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel were employed by each of the armed forces in the last year for which records are available.

Bob Ainsworth: Information on the number of service personnel employed by each of the armed forces is published in Tri-Service Publication 1, Strength, Intake and Outflow of UK Regular Forces (TSP 1). Copies are available in the Library of the House and also at:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tspl/gender.html
	The latest available data published in TSP 1 is as at 1 March 2008. TSP 1 is a monthly publication, previous copies of which can be found at www.dasa.mod.uk. The next edition of TSP 1 is due to be released on 22 May 2008 and this will contain figures as at 1 April 2008.

Armed Forces: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required and  (b) actual number of unit welfare officers is.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1646W, to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey).

Armed Forces: Schools

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on visits by armed forces personnel to schools.

Derek Twigg: We welcome the opportunity to visit schools. Armed forces personnel do visit schools to raise awareness and understanding and help with youth work, e.g. sports and engineering projects. Any visit will be at the invitation of a school and the school will work with the armed forces to determine what information will be provided to young people. This will include information on careers in the services as well as providing general information to make students aware of the work of the MOD and armed forces worldwide.

Armed Forces: Schools

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time teachers were employed by Service Children's Education at the latest date for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the full-time requirement.

Derek Twigg: As at the 1 April 2008, Service Children's Education (SCE) employed 775 full-time teachers and 37 part-time teachers
	The estimated teacher establishment for the academic year 2008/09 is 737 full-time teachers and 37 part-time teachers, with the bulk of these reductions reflecting the closure of Osnabrck Station in Germany during 2008-09.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what specialist training in the immediate management of traumatic injuries and Major Incident Medical Management and Support medical officers on the Army's Entry Officer course receive.

Derek Twigg: All Army medical officers undergo the post graduate medical officers course which is delivered by the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine. It includes a full major incident medical management and support course, followed by an examination which has to be passed. The remainder of the course covers a broad range of topics specific to military medicine, with a specific focus on time at general duties. All military medical officers also undertake four months accident and emergency experience during training.
	Those students notified for deployment on operations within three months of the course end, undertake the battlefield advanced trauma life support course. Those scheduled to deploy at a later date undertake this training from within their units.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of Role 1 medical officers deployed on operations had received refresher training in the management of trauma at the latest date for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: 100 per cent. in all three services as of 21 April 2008.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours of pre-deployment training personnel are required to complete before deployment to  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: There is a mandatory 'pre-deployment course', which is run separately by each service and is followed up by role-specific orientation training in theatre. Represented in days, the mandatory course duration is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of days 
			 Royal Navy 10 
			 Army and Royal Marines 4 
			 RAF 6 
			 Civilians 3 
		
	
	Pre-deployment courses differ between the services due to differing roles undertaken and theatre specific relevance of other training undertaken. Pre-deployment training is very much longer than these service specific pre-deployment courses.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training personnel serving in the Queen's Colour Squadron received prior to their deployment to Afghanistan in spring 2008.

Bob Ainsworth: The Queen's Colour Squadron is not currently committed to squadron-level operations in Afghanistan. However, a small number of its personnel have been deployed on force-protection duties there since last October. Prior to their deployment, personnel undertook an intensive training package designed specifically for their role in Afghanistan. The package included briefings, practical training and an intensive series of live firing exercises.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training in Arctic flying conditions was provided to armed forces helicopter pilots in 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: Arctic flying training for armed forces helicopter pilots takes place on an annual basis at the Joint Helicopter Command Clockwork facility at Royal Norwegian Air Force Base Bardufoss, which provides ground and air training for all rotary wing and support units. The flying syllabus covers day and night flying sorties, mountain flying and other sorties pertinent to aircraft type and role.
	For the winter training period of 2007, the units receiving this training were:
	elements of the Commando Helicopter Force,
	elements of 33 Squadron Royal Air Force and
	elements of 4 Regiment Army Air Corps.

Army: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) shortest and  (b) average number of months between the completion of Phase 2 training and the deployment of personnel in the Army was for the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Ainsworth: All soldiers are deployed or 'posted' directly to their parent unit upon completion of Phase 2 training. Data on time between completion of Phase 2 training and deployment on a operational tour is not readily available.

Departmental Credit Cards

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions a government procurement card was used by his departmental officials and by service personnel in each of the last five years; how much was spent via such cards in each such year; and what effect on administrative costs the use of such cards is estimated to have had since they came into operation.

Bob Ainsworth: The total expenditure and total number of transactions on the Government Procurement Cards (GPC) held by departmental officials and service personnel over the last five years is detailed as follows:
	
		
			   Expenditure ()  Transactions 
			 2007-08 231,103,509 819,903 
			 2006-07 218,631,506 754,329 
			 2005-06 202,499,078 714,471 
			 2004-05 168,594,451 627,006 
			 2003-04 100,438,586 401,980 
		
	
	Since its implementation in the MOD, the GPC has achieved total process and administration cost savings of 101,894,044, based on the NAO savings figure of 28 per transaction. A breakdown of this is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Transactions  Savings () 
			 2007-08 819,903 22,957,284 
			 2006-07 754,329 21,121,212 
			 2005-06 714,471 20,005,188 
			 2004-05 627,006 17,556,168 
			 2003-04 401,980 11,255,440 
			 2002-03 227,725 6,376,300 
			 2001-02 61,296 1,716,288 
			 2000-01 30,155 844,340 
			 1999-2000 2,208 61,824 
			 Total 3,639,073 101,894,044

Departmental Public Expenditure

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's financial  (a) losses and  (b) special payments for 2007-08 were.

Bob Ainsworth: This information is intended for future publication in the MOD's Annual Report and Accounts, which we plan to lay before the House in July.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many full-time posts were filled on a temporary basis for a period in excess of six months in his Department in each of the last three years.

Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the format requested. However, I am able to provide the monthly average of the number of people filling a post on a temporary basis for Financial Year 2006-07 and for 2007-08 which was 2,581 and 2,867 respectively. These numbers do not include temporary or agency staff filling vacancies nor do they distinguish between full-time and part-time posts. They also exclude staff in Trading Funds.

Devonport Dockyard

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make final decisions on the baseporting of frigates and submarines at Devonport Naval Base.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 113W, on the baseporting of ships at Devonport. The position applies equally to frigates and submarines.

European Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Typhoon Eurofighters are fully operational and in service with the Royal Air Force.

Bob Ainsworth: As of 21 April 2008, there are 49 Typhoon aircraft in service with the RAF, of which 34 aircraft are fully operational for daily tasking and 15 in capability upgrade, flight test activities and scheduled maintenance.

Fleet Air Arm

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Fleet Air Arm personnel were  (a) qualified and  (b) serving as fighter pilots at the latest date for which figures are available.

Bob Ainsworth: As at 21 April 2008 the number of qualified Fleet Air Arm personnel who hold the post award of the flying badge is 63.
	The number of fast jet pilots employed on operations or direct support to them is 36.

Future Large Aircraft: Procurement

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the A400M aircraft ordered by his Department will have an explosive suppressive foam capability to respond to fuel tank explosions.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 21 April 2008
	Explosion suppressant foam is one of several fuel tank inerting systems available to prevent fuel tank explosion. An alternative inerting system is the on board inert gas generation system (OBIGGS), such as that fitted as standard to C-17s.
	All but one of our A400M aircraft will, during manufacture, will be fitted with the necessary equipment to enable fuel tank inerting to be installed. The one exception to this is an early development aircraft which is already under construction and cannot be fitted with the enabling pipework for fuel tank inerting during its production. We are currently looking at ways to address this shortfall.

Iran: Territorial Waters

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will  (a) prepare and  (b) place in the Library a commentary on the documents released to  The Times newspaper under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in relation to the Iranian seizure of personnel from the crew of HMS Cornwall.

Des Browne: holding answer 25 April 2008
	Yes.

Iraq: Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much it costs to transport one  (a) Mastiff and  (b) Bulldog armoured vehicle from the UK to (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: The cost of transporting heavy equipment varies considerably according to the method employed. The means of transportation is decided on a number of criteria, primarily when the equipment is ready for transport and its required delivery date.
	For Iraq the approximate cost of transporting one Mastiff vehicle by commercial heavy lift aircraft is 41,600.
	For Afghanistan the approximate cost of transporting one Mastiff vehicle by commercial heavy lift aircraft is 55,000.
	Bulldog deploy to theatre using military shipping. Using a standard calculation for operating costs including the costs of fuel, port handling charges and Suez Transit (and excluding fixed costs such as wages and cost of ownership) the cost of moving one Bulldog is 717. This figure assumes that the vessel carried a full load of cargo which was the case for both of the shipping consignments in this case.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of those  (a) captured and  (b) killed by British forces in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan since November 2007 were of Iranian nationality.

Des Browne: As I stated in my answer to the hon. Member on 18 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1234W, the Ministry of Defence does not maintain records on the nationality of individuals killed in engagements involving UK forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.
	No Iranian nationals have been detained by UK forces in Iraq and Afghanistan since November 2007.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of service casualties on current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have been killed and injured in incidents involving roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 25 April 2008
	The percentage of fatalities of UK service personnel resulting from improvised explosive devices or mines is 27 per cent. for operations in Afghanistan and 28 per cent. for operations in Iraq.
	Data on the proportion of injuries caused by improvised explosive devices or mines are not held centrally.

Joint Rapid Reaction Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the UK's military commitment to  (a) the European Union Battlegroup,  (b) NATO Response Force,  (c) NATO Operational Reserve Force,  (d) the Spearhead Land Element,  (e) Small Scale Focused Intervention Force and  (f) Allied Rapid Reaction Corps will be sourced from the Joint Rapid Reaction Force from July to December 2008.

Des Browne: The Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF) exists to provide the UK's high readiness military contingency and to meet our international high readiness military commitments. In the period from July to December 2008 the UK may be required to provide force elements to the EU Battlegroup, the NATO Response Force and the NATO Operational Reserve Force; these commitments, should they arise, will be met from the JRRF as normal.
	The Spearhead Land Element and the Small Scale Focused Intervention capability are both integral components of the JRRF. They are two elements that contribute to the JRRF capability available to Defence for contingent tasks.
	The Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) is a UK led multinational HQ assigned to NATO. Between July and December 2008 the UK's military commitment to HQ ARRC will not be drawn from elements assigned to the Joint Rapid Reaction Force.

Lynx Helicopters

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what operational roles are planned for the Future Lynx helicopter.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 21 April 2008
	The Army variant of Future Lynx is intended to be used primarily as a reconnaissance and utility helicopter. The maritime variant is intended to be used primarily against surface and sub-surface threats.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire dated 19 March 2008 on Gurkhas (Reference: MC01743/2008).

Derek Twigg: I replied to the hon. Member on 28 April.

NATO Response Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what mechanisms the NATO Response Force is funded; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Costs associated with the NATO Response Force (NRF) are borne directly by the nations providing the force elements; common funding arrangements are not applied. The exception to this is a time-limited arrangement (until the end of 2009), by which common funding can be used to defray the costs associated with the short-notice deployment of elements of the NRF. This is intended to allow nations a reasonable period of time in which to acquire-individually, collectively or by ensuring access tothe strategic lift capability they need to be able to deploy their own forces.

NATO Response Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Government spent on the NATO Response Force in each year since 2005.

Des Browne: The force elements we make available on standby to the NATO Response Force are drawn from the UK's Joint Rapid Reaction Force. As yet, none of these force elements have been activated for deployment. No expenditure specifically related to the NATO Response Force has therefore been incurred in this period.

NATO Response Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what units will form the British commitment to the NATO Response Force in the second half of 2008.

Des Browne: From July to December 2008, the UK's contribution to the NATO Response Force will be an Air Component Command Headquarters and associated support, a deployable air operating base, eight Tornado GR4 aircraft and four air defence aircraft together with two air refuelling aircraft, two tactical transport aircraft, and a contribution to the Joint Logistic Support Group. We will also provide mine counter measures task group command, with a command ship, a destroyer/frigate escort, and a survey vessel. All these forces will be drawn from the UK's Joint Rapid Reaction Force.

Navy: Equipment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ice breakers the Royal Navy had in each year since 1997.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ice Patrol ship HMS Endurance is the only ship of this kind operated by the Royal Navy and has been in service since 1991.

Woolwich Barracks

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in the redevelopment of Woolwich Barracks; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Good progress has been made, and planning consent for the redevelopment of Woolwich Barracks has been obtained. New junior rank single living accommodation for over 400 personnel is due to be delivered by late 2009.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Coal Mining: Bangladesh

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what support his Department has provided to promote the proposal by the UK company Global Coal Management Resources PLC for an opencast coal mine at Phulbari in North West Bangladesh;
	(2)  if he will have discussions with the Bangladesh Government on the proposal by the UK company Global Coal Management Resources PLC for an opencast coal mine at Phulbari in North West Bangladesh.

Gareth Thomas: We have provided support to Global Coal Management Resources PLC, through the British high commission in Dhaka. They have lobbied to ensure that the Government of Bangladesh take the company's interests into consideration and do not prohibit opencast mining. The British high commission will continue to remain in touch with the company and will represent their interests as appropriate. The Bangladeshi Caretaker Government's new draft coal policy leaves the way open for opencast mining in Bangladesh in the future.

Departmental Internet

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent on the most recent redesign and implementation of his departmental website.

Gareth Thomas: Following the creation of the Department in June 2007 changes to the design of the website reflecting both the Department's new name and associated brand guidelines were implemented. The total cost of the changes to our website and intranetwhich cannot be separated except at disproportionate costwas 67,000.

Electricity Generation: Renewable Energy

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of UK electricity supply was generated from renewable sources in each year between 1998 and 2007.

Malcolm Wicks: The proportion of electricity generated in the United Kingdom that has been derived from renewable sources in each year between 1998 and 2006 is shown in the following table. Data for 2007 will not be available until later this year.
	
		
			  Proportion of electricity generated from renewable sources 
			   Percentage 
			 1998 2.38 
			 1999 2.61 
			 2000 2.62 
			 2001 2.48 
			 2002 2.87 
			 2003 2.65 
			 2004 3.58 
			 2005 4.23 
			 2006 4.55

Energy: Finance

Adam Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2008,  Official Report, column 334W, on renewable energy: finance, what funds are held by Ofgem arising from the auctioning of renewable obligation certificates and electricity generated under non-fossil fuel obligation contracts.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 21 April 2008
	The balance of the England and Wales Levy account as at 31 March 2008 is 29.9 million. This amount includes accumulated interest on the account.
	The balance of the Scottish Levy account as at 31 March 2008 is 105.9 million. This amount includes accumulated interest on the account.

Gas and Electricity Markets Authority

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what financial contributions energy suppliers make to Ofgem.

Malcolm Wicks: Under a Standard Licence Condition, licence fees are collected from the network businesses that hold the following types of licence:
	gas transportation
	electricity transportation (where the relevant condition is in force)
	electricity distribution.
	Costs to be recovered by Ofgem are calculated on the basis of a customer numbers formula. For 2007-08, 35.1 million was collected in licence fees to cover Ofgem-related expenditure.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform who the members are of the co-ordinating group for the solicitors representing former mineworkers.

Malcolm Wicks: Members of the coordinating group (CG) of claimants' solicitors for each of the Coal Health Compensations schemes are as follows; for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the CG is made up of:
	Irwin Mitchell
	Hugh James
	Thompsons (Newcastle)
	Thompsons (Edinburgh);
	and for vibration white finger:
	Irwin Mitchell
	Hugh James
	Thompsons (Edinburgh)
	Thompson  Co.
	Watson Burton.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the reduction in maximum grant levels under the domestic stream of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme on household demand for solar photovoltaic and micro-wind technologies; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Since the introduction of a grant cap in May 2007 for household installations monthly applications, including for solar PV and micro-wind, have decreased relative to before May 2007. However, we have seen a more even spread across the various technologies. There are potentially a number of factors contributing to this lower uptake of household grants. However, we believe that the extension to the household stream of LCBP, relaxation of planning requirements and wider promotion of the programme should help to boost take-up.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate his Department has made of the number of micro-generation installations to be delivered by the domestic stream of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme.

Malcolm Wicks: To date, we have funded 4,300 domestic installations through the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. We recently announced that the domestic stream will be extended to June 2010 or until the funds are exhausted whichever comes sooner. We also announced the relaxation of planning permission requirements, making it easier for homeowners to install microgeneration on their homes.
	Should we continue allocating grants at the current rate of 200 per month, we would expect to see a further 2,800 completed installations by scheme closure. However, with the changes that we have made, we expect that uptake to increase.
	We will continue to monitor uptake to the domestic stream going forward.

Nuclear Reactors: Floods

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment has been made of the risk of flooding of existing and proposed nuclear reactors on coastal sites over their lifetimes; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: UK coastal nuclear power stations are designed to be protected against flooding, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requires flood defence plans to be periodically reviewed by site operators. HSE would also require appropriate flood protection measures and flood defence plans for any new nuclear power station in the future.
	The potential impact of flooding would be a relevant consideration in any future siting assessment for any proposed new nuclear build, alongside a range of other considerations. We will be consulting on draft criteria for the strategic siting assessment in due course.

Personal Savings: Regulation

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans his Department has for the further regulation of the operation of Christmas savings clubs.

Gareth Thomas: The Government have already indicated that the possibility of regulation will be considered once the outcome of the Companies Act investigation into Farepak is available. This consideration will also take account of the initial advice delivered by the OFT and FSA in December 2007, and the Thirteenth Report (2006-07) by the Treasury Select Committee.

Radioactive Wastes: Waste Management

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether exchanges of expertise and technology for the disposal of highly radioactive nuclear waste take place between the UK and France.

Malcolm Wicks: Collaboration with France on nuclear power is already well established, and with the commitment to new nuclear in the UK there is now greater scope to reap the benefits. At the recent UK/French summit one of the issues discussed was the scope for exchange of staff and information on waste management between the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and its French counterpart. A bilateral agreement between NDA and ANDRA (the French waste management organisation) will be signed in the coming weeks.

Renewable Energy: Skilled Workers

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans he has to address the skills gap in the renewables sector identified in the Government's White Paper relating to that sector; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The issue of skills will be addressed in the forthcoming consultation on the renewable energy strategy.
	We are also actively collaborating with employers and sector skills councils to help develop academies for nuclear, the process industries and oil and gas and are working on plans for the power and environmental sectors with the aim of delivering the required skills to work across the energy sector, including renewables.

Renewable Energy: Water Power

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of renewable energy supply came from hydro-generation in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland in each year between 1998 and 2007.

Malcolm Wicks: Information in this detail is only available for the following years and only for hydro as a proportion of electricity generation.
	
		
			  Proportion of electricity from renewable sources generated by hydro sources 
			  Percentage 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 England 0.6 1.0 0.6 0.8 
			 Scotland 77.9 76.7 71.0 60.7 
			 Wales 24.7 27.8 21.7 19.5 
			 Northern Ireland 6.4 7.5 7.0 9.1 
			 United Kingdom total 29.8 34.4 29.2 25.3

Renewable Energy: Water Power

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of renewable energy supply generated in the United Kingdom is derived from rivers; and what that figure is expressed in the number of homes powered by such electricity.

Malcolm Wicks: In the statistics collected on renewable energy by BERR, no distinction is currently made between hydroelectricity derived from rivers and hydroelectricity derived from lakes or other reservoir sources.

Supermarkets: Competition

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will commission research on the effect of supermarket chains on the convenience shop sector, with particular reference to the level of competition and local dominance; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: This Department has no plans to commission research into this market. Competition in the supermarket and grocery sectors is a matter for the independent competition authorities. The Competition Commission's (CC) inquiry into the UK grocery market is assessing local market concentration in some detail. The CC's final report is expected shortly.

Wind Power: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discount rate has been assumed in carrying out the cost benefit analysis for wind farms  (a) at current levels of Government subsidy and  (b) assuming no subsidy.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 21 April 2008
	The Department does not carry out cost benefit analyses of individual wind farms. The Department has produced estimates of the levelised generation costs for fossil fuels (coal and gas) and low carbon technologies. Estimates for onshore and offshore wind use a pre-tax commercial discount rate of between 10 and 12 per cent.
	The Department uses the Treasury Green Book social discount rate to estimate the present value of the resource cost to the economy of low carbon generation technologies compared with generation using fossil fuels.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Relations: Religion

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been allocated to the preventing violent extremism community leadership fund for  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 25 April 2008
	The preventing violent extremism: community leadership fund has been allocated 1.1 million, 1.3 million, and 1.5 million for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively.

Construction: Price Fixing

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions she has had with the Local Government Association on alleged price fixing in the construction industry and the implications of such practices for local authorities.

John Healey: There have not been any recent discussions between Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Association about alleged price fixing activities in the construction industry.

Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the reasons are for the different figures given in the answer of 28 January 2008,  Official Report, column 112W, on council tax, and the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 5 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2498, on council tax: tax yields, for council tax receipts in England in 1997-98.

Parmjit Dhanda: I have written to the hon. Member explaining the reasons for the different figures given in the two answers. A ministerial correction amending the answer of 28 January 2008 was published on 23 April 2008,  Official Report, column 10MC.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what her most recent estimate is of the unfunded liability in present value terms of each public sector pension scheme for which her Department is responsible; and on what assumptions for  (a) discount and  (b) longevity the estimate is based;
	(2)  what the unfunded liability in present value terms was of each public sector pension scheme for which her Department is responsible in each year since 1990-91;
	(3)  what the  (a) rate and  (b) cost was of employer contributions for each public sector pension scheme for which her Department has responsibility in each year since 1990-91; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The 89 local authority pension funds that comprise the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales are valued by actuaries every three years. The most recent valuation took place in March 2007 but the national outcome will not be known until later in the year. Details of individual fund valuation results, including new employer contribution rates and the assumptions used for discount and longevity can be obtained directly from each scheme administering authority.
	When the funds were last valued in 2004, this showed that the assets of 80 billion represented some 75 per cent. of the total scheme liabilities of 107 billion. Each scheme administering authority has in place a funding strategy to manage and recover to ensure the on-going solvency of the scheme. Valuation results for English and Welsh local authorities participating in the scheme are available at
	www.xoq83.dial.pipex.com/actvale.pdf
	and
	www.xoq83.dialpipex.com/valwal.pdf
	The pension liability for the two firefighters' pension schemes falls on individual fire and rescue authorities. The current unfunded liabilities are estimated to be about 18 billion for English authorities.
	The 1992 Firefighters' Pension Scheme has an employer contribution rate of 22 per cent. of payroll; the 2006 New Firefighters' Pension Scheme's rate is 11 per cent. The estimated costs for employers in the two schemes are:
	
		
			   million 
			   1992 scheme  2006 scheme 
			 2006-07 193.9 2.8 
			 2007-08 194.6 8.9

Departmental Public Participation

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many public consultations were held by her Department and its predecessor in each of the last three years; and how many respondents took part in each consultation.

Parmjit Dhanda: As reported in the annual reports of my Department and its predecessor, and as set out in the Government summaries of responses, the following public consultations were held in each of the last three years:
	In the calendar year 2005 my predecessor Department ODPM launched 57 public consultations.
	In the calendar year 2006 my Department launched 34 public consultations.
	In the calendar year 2007 my Department launched 48 public consultations.
	Identifying how many respondents took part in each consultation could be done only at disproportionate cost. The number of responses to these consultations varies greatly. For example there were only 76 responses to our consultation on Tolerated Trespassers issued in August 2007. However, there were 55,000 responses for our consultation on Proposals for Future Unitary Structures issued in March 2007.

Fire Services: Resignations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether exit interviews are conducted with retained firefighters when leaving the Fire and Rescue Service.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Undertaking exit interviews for all staff is a matter of good practice. Fire and rescue services were provided with guidance encouraging this practice by the Home Office as part of two equalities action plans entitled Toward Diversity published in 2000 and 2001.

Fire Services: Training

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of initial training for  (a) a full-time firefighter and  (b) a retained firefighter was in each fire and rescue service in the latest period for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: The cost of initial training for both full-time and retained duty system firefighters is a matter for individual fire and rescue service. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Floods: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much Government funding has been provided to help repair properties which were damaged in the floods of 2007.

John Healey: This information is not held by Communities and Local Government and we are therefore unable to provide a breakdown on how much was provided to help repair properties.
	To date, Government have made available up to 88 million to support communities in England affected by the floods of June and July 2007. This includes around 18.4 million from Communities and Local Government in flood recovery grant to support the recovery work of local authorities.
	Local authorities have flexibility to decide how to best use flood recovery grant based on their own local circumstances. In practice this has included:
	support payments to flood affected households;
	purchase and provision of new household items to flood affected households;
	provision of temporary caravans to allow people to remain within their communities while houses are repaired;
	resilience and rescheduling of home improvement programmes to support families in flood damaged homes;
	other priorities set through consultation with flood-affected householders and communities.
	Communities and Local Government have invited councils to adapt their timetables for the multi-billion pound decent homes programme to help get their tenants back into fully renovated homes as quickly as possible.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families has made available 14 million for schools and children's services affected by the floods and regional development agencies have made available around 11 million for businesses affected.

Floods: Local Government Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have raised a ring-fenced sum by precept to deal with problems arising from flooding.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing: Standards

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what target has been set for house building in  (a) Stroud constituency and  (b) Stroud district over the next planning period; and what the (i) process and (ii) anticipated timing is for finding sites for these houses in the event that the Hunts Grove development is (A) proceeded with and (B) not proceeded with.

Iain Wright: There is no figure available for the Stroud constituency because the boundary is smaller than that of Stroud district.
	The target for house building in Stroud District over the next planning period (1991-2011 as set out in the Gloucestershire County Structure Plan) is 9,400. The Draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the period 2006-2026 provides for a total of 6,700 with the RSS Panel Report recommendations increasing this to 9,100.
	The process and anticipated timing for finding sites for these houses will be determined by the approved structure plan figures being replaced by the submitted draft RSS figures. The Secretary of State's proposed changes to the RSS are due to be published for public consultation in the summer of 2008 with adoption due before the end of 2008.
	We expect housing provision to meet strategic requirements in accordance with PPS3 to be made by Stroud by provision of a site specific allocation of land development plan document (DPD) as part of the local development framework process. The DPD is programmed to be submitted for examination in March 2010 with adoption due in April 2011. A core strategy setting out the spatial strategy is also programmed for adoption in July 2010. These documents will take account of available land in the district including land at Hunts Grove and will need to reflect the then adopted RSS housing figures.

Local Authorities: Planning

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a local authority is permitted to relocate a housing allocation published in its local plan or local development framework from one site to another.

Iain Wright: The housing allocations in the Stroud district local plan, adopted on 10 November 2005, were saved for three years after this date by a direction issued by the Secretary of State. Following this date, the housing provision should be reviewed and updated to take account of the up to date strategic requirements of PPS3 and amended through the local development framework process by Stroud district council. This will include a review of all remaining housing allocations from the local plan.

Local Government Finance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much central government grant per head was paid to each  (a) county council and  (b) unitary authority in England excluding grant to police authorities and local education authorities in the last financial year for which figures are available.  [Official Report, 30 April 2008, Vol. 475, c. 6MC.]

John Healey: The amount of central government funding paid to each county council and unitary authority excluding grant to police authorities and local education authorities in any financial year is zero because county councils and unitary authorities are all local education authorities.

Minister for the East of England: Standards

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the  (a) activities and  (b) performance the Minister for the East of England since her appointment in June 2007 against the terms of reference for the post set out in the Governance of Britain Green Paper.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Governance of Britain Green Paper states that regional Ministers are expected to provide a clear sense of strategic direction for their regions and ensure that central Government's policies take account of regional needs. This involves working closely with the relevant Government office; the Regional Development Agency; other Government agencies; local government; business, the third sector and other stakeholders. Based on these terms of reference the Minister for the East of England's most significant achievements include:
	helping to take forward the restructuring of regional bodies outlined in the Sub National Review;
	setting up and chairing the quarterly Regional Partnership Group;
	advising the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on RDA board appointments;
	attending quarterly meetings with BERR Ministers and RDA chairs to discuss regional issues and performance;
	engaging with a wide range of cross government bodies and agencies on regional issues like: local area agreements; the growth agenda; water supply; coastal flooding and defences; skills; health; women's enterprise and preparations for the Olympics in the East of England;
	attending a wide range of events, visits and meetings with regional bodies; partners and stakeholders with a six-month forward programme of regional visits planned with local authorities and regional partners who want the Minister for the East of England to help them to deliver key regional growth and regeneration projects; and
	attending regular meetings with the eight other regional Ministers to discuss matters of mutual interest like policing; transport and the growth agenda and share best practice.
	As the Governance of Britain Green Paper does not set out any executive powers for regional Ministers, the Minister for the East of England has not made any executive decisions since her appointment.

National Muslim Women's Advisory Group

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which members of the National Muslim Women's Advisory Group have attended each meeting held with members of her Department since January 2008.

Hazel Blears: The National Muslim Women's Advisory Group has had two official meetings with the Secretary of State, in November 2007 and March 2008.
	15 of the 19 members attended the meeting:
	Siddika Ahmed;
	Farkhanda Chaudhry;
	Zuelkha Dala;
	Reedah El-Saie;
	Rokshana Fiaz;
	Rukaiya Jeraj;
	Samina Kauser;
	Shahda Khan;
	Sabira Lakha;
	Adeeba Malik;
	Sabin Malik;
	Naheed Mather;
	Andleen Razaq;
	Shahien Taj; and
	Batool Al Toma.
	The four remaining members sent their apologies:
	Fareena Alam;
	Parvin Ali;
	Shaista Gohair; and
	Tasneem Mahmood.
	Members of the advisory group also met with the Secretary of State at the formal launch of the group on 31 January at No 10.
	15 of the 19 members attended the launch:
	Parvin Ali;
	Siddika Ahmed;
	Fareena Alam;
	Farkhanda Chaudhry;
	Zuelkha Dala;
	Reedah El-Saie;
	Shaista Gohair;
	Rukaiya Jeraj;
	Samina Kauser;
	Shahda Khan;
	Sabira Lakha;
	Tasneem Mahmood;
	Sabin Malik;
	Andleen Razaq; and
	Batool Al Toma.

National Muslim Women's Advisory Group

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many meetings she has attended with the National Muslim Women's Advisory Group since January 2008.

Hazel Blears: The National Muslim Women's Advisory Group has had two official meetings with the Secretary of State, in November 2007 and March 2008.
	Members of the advisory group also met with the Secretary of State at the formal launch of the group on 31 January 2008 at No. 10.
	The group have also had a range of meetings among themselves within their regions.

Regional Planning and Development: South East

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her changes to the draft South East Plan will be published before the summer 2008 Parliamentary adjournment.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Secretary of State intends to publish proposed changes for the draft regional spatial strategy (RSS) for the south-east (the South East Plan) before the summer recess.

Regional Planning and Development: South East

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how long the consultation period will be on her proposed changes to the draft South East Plan.

Parmjit Dhanda: It is the Secretary of State's intention to allow 12 weeks for consultation on her proposed changes for the draft regional spatial strategy (RSS) for the south-east (the South East Plan). The statutory requirement is for a consultation of at least eight weeks, we are however mindful of the proposed timing of consultation over the summer period and for that reason will be allowing an additional four weeks.

Regional Planning and Development: South East

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to permit changes to the South East Plan which involve the removal of green belt protection in whole or in part.

Parmjit Dhanda: The report of the independent panel is still under consideration and it would be inappropriate to comment on what may or may not be included in any proposed changes.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum: Deportation

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which countries there is currently no safe route of return for failed asylum seekers.

Liam Byrne: There are no countries to which the United Kingdom does not remove failed asylum seekers on the basis of the safety of the route. Officials consider not only the merits of the individual case but also the most effective means of achieving a safe and successful return. While there is no policy not to return to any country or territory, our ability to return may of course from time to time temporarily be affected by legal challenge. This is currently the case with Zimbabwe, where we have undertaken to the High Court that we will not enforce the return of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe until the current country guidance litigation is resolved, and that remains the case.

Asylum: Zimbabwe

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers have been returned to Zimbabwe  (a) voluntarily and  (b) compulsorily during the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The latest published information showing removals of asylum seekers by destination can be found in Table 11.2 of the Asylum Statistics: United Kingdom 2006 bulletin.
	We undertook to the High Court on 26 September 2006 that we would not enforce the return of asylum seekers to Zimbabwe until the current country guidance litigation is finally resolved, and that remains the case.
	Copies of the aforementioned publication are available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gove.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Border and Immigration Agency

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for indefinite leave to remain have been lost by the Border and Immigration Agency's  (a) Security Casework Unit,  (b) War Crimes Unit,  (c) Criminal Casework Directorate and  (d) other casework units in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not available. It is not possible for the UK Border Agency to be aware of an application until it has been received and logged using the case information database. The onus is on the applicant to ensure that the agency receives their application. In the event that evidence has been provided that such an application has been received, the date of receipt will be taken into account when considering whether such an application has been made prior to the expiry of any other granted period of leave that the individual has held.

Border and Immigration Agency: Complaints

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints were made to the Border and Immigration Agency in each year since establishment, broken down by the nature of complaint; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Data can be provided from 2000 for service delivery complaints and 2001 for misconduct complaints.
	The number of complaints received from members of the public through the Border and Immigration Agency's central complaints unit (the customer focus team), broken down by category and year are as follows:
	
		
			  Misconduct complaints (relating to staff behaviour) 
			   Number 
			 1 January 2001 to 31 March 2002 530 
			 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 436 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 546 
			 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 422 
			 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 433 
			 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 354 
			 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 360 
		
	
	
		
			  Service delivery complaints (relating to level of service) 
			   Number 
			 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 2,747 
			 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 3,943 
			 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 3,402 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 11,788 
			 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 13,008 
			 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 13,618 
			 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 12,594 
			 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 13,585

Case Resolution Directorate: Expenditure

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent to date on the Case Resolution Directorate, broken down by  (a) wages and salaries,  (b) IT costs,  (c) administration costs,  (d) legal fees,  (e) consultant fees and  (f) other costs; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 22 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1456W. There are no other costs to those listed.

Community Policing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps the Government has taken to improve links between the police and community.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 21 April 2008
	On 31 March 2008 the Government announced that their commitment that there would be a Neighbourhood Policing Team in every area by 2008 has been met. For the first time ever, every household across England and Wales has access to a visible and dedicated police team to help solve local problems. Announced on the same day, the 'Name in Every Neighbourhood' campaign aims to raise awareness and understanding of neighbourhood policing among the public and ensure they know how to find the contact details of their local team and know how to engage with them.
	Neighbourhood policing teams focus on engaging with their local community and provide high visibility, reassurance policing in order to deal with the issues that matter most to the local community. Partnership working is a key element of neighbourhood policing and locally identified issues will be addressed by neighbourhood policing teams in partnership with other community safety partners.
	The Government have committed to making consistent, monthly, local information on crime available throughout the country. This will include data on crime and community safety issues, such as information about what local agencies are doing to tackle their community safety priorities.
	The Home Office is working with ACPO, APA and other stakeholders to identify how best this can be achieved.

Community Policing: Publicity

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on  (a) newspaper advertising and  (b) other forms of advertising for the launch of the Neighbourhood Policing programme.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office spent 440,000 on newspaper advertising and 450,000 on radio advertising.

Community Support Officers: Greater London

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of  (a) police community support officers and  (b) police officers are in each ethnic category in each London borough.

Tony McNulty: The ethnicity of police service personnel is not collected at the borough level, and is only available at the force level.
	The available data are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Proportion of police officers( 1)  in London by ethnicity as at 31 March 2007 
			  Percentage 
			   Metropolitan police  City of London police 
			 White 91.9 94.9 
			 Mixed 1.4 1.4 
			 Black or Black British 2.4 1.5 
			 Asian or Asian British 2.8 2.1 
			 Other ethnic group 1.3 0.1 
			 Not stated 0.2 0.0 
			 (1) Figures based on full-time equivalent figures rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of constituent items. 
		
	
	
		
			  Proportion of police community support officers( 1)  in London by ethnicity as at 31 March 2007 
			  Percentage 
			   Metropolitan police  City of London police 
			 White 67.4 83.3 
			 Mixed 3.8 8.3 
			 Black or Black British 11.3 2.8 
			 Asian or Asian British 12.1 5.6 
			 Other ethnic group 4.1 0.0 
			 Not stated 1.3 0.0 
			 (1) Figures based on full-time equivalent figures rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of constituent items.

Crime Prevention: Internet

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on the website www.crimereduction.gov.uk in each month since its inception; what the budget for the website is for 2008-09; how many staff are employed to maintain the website; and how many unique visitors there were to the website in each month since its inception.

Liam Byrne: It is not possible to extract the costs of this website from the others we manage.

Crime: Statistics

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1251W, on crime: statistics, whether a perceived lack of response on previous occasions has been adduced as a reason for not reporting crime.

Vernon Coaker: The British crime survey (BCS) does collect information on reasons why victims had not reported crimes to the police. However, the BCS does not collect information specifically on whether crimes had not been reported to the police due to lack of response on previous occasions. These cases would be included in the broader category of people who had not reported crimes to the police due to previous bad experience with the police or the courts/dislike or fear of the police.
	Information on reasons given for not reporting crimes to the police based on the latest figures (2006-07 BCS) is included in the following table, which is published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin 11/07 Crime in England and Wales 2006/07, table 2.11 at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1107.pd
	
		
			  Table  1: Reasons for not reporting crime to the police, 2006-07 
			  Percentage 
			   Vandalism  Burglary  Thefts from vehicles and attempts( 1)  Other household theft  Other personal theft  BCS violence( 2)  Comparable subset( 3)  All BCS 
			 Trivial/no loss/police would not/could not do anything(4) 83 70 84 81 66 46 71 72 
			 Private/dealt with ourselves 10 17 10 13 13 34 17 16 
			 Inconvenient to report 5 6 7 5 6 4 6 6 
			 Reported to other authorities 2 2 1 2 14 8 4 5 
			 Common occurrence 3 2 2 1 3 4 3 3 
			 Fear of reprisal 3 4 0 2 1 7 3 3 
			 Dislike or fear of the police/previous bad experience with the police or courts 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 
			 Other(5) 3 9 5 3 9 10 6 6 
			  
			  Unweighted base 2,805 362 1,323 1,414 604 933 6,234 8,252 
			 (1) Thefts of vehicles not shown as very few incidents were not reported. (2) Comparable BCS violence includes wounding, robbery, assault with minor injury and assault with no injury. (3) The comparable crime subset includes vandalism, burglary, vehicle theft, bicycle theft, wounding, assault with and without minor injury and robbery. (4) Too trivial/no loss/would not have been interested/police could not do anything/attempt at offence was unsuccessful are merged due to the similarity in their definition, for example: a respondent who thinks the incident was too trivial may code the incident as 'too trivial, no loss' or 'the police would not be interested' as these two codes may be understood as meaning the same. (5) This category includes: something that happens as part of job; partly my/friend's/relative's fault; offender not responsible for actions; thought someone else had reported incident/similar incidents; tried to report but was not able to contact the police/police not interested; other.  Source: 2006-07 BCS. More than one reason could be given.

Crimes of Violence

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of violence against the person were recorded in  (a) Eddisbury,  (b) Crewe and Nantwich,  (c) City of Chester,  (d) Wallasey and  (e) Weaver Vale constituencies in each of the last three years.

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes involving violence against a person were recorded in  (a) North East Hampshire,  (b) East Hampshire,  (c) Winchester and  (d) Romsey constituencies in each of the last five years.

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes involving violence against a person were recorded in Wealden constituency in each of the last five years.

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of violence against the person were recorded in Worcester constituency in each of the last five years.

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of violence against the person were recorded in Mid Worcestershire constituency in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Statistics are not collected specifically on a constituency basis. The Home Office does publish statistics at crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) area level. The number of offences of violence against the person for each of the last five years by CDRP is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/cdrpog.xls
	Also available is a look-up table that identifies which constituencies are associated with CDRPs. In many instances, a CDRP may comprise of more than one constituency. Conversely, some constituencies will come within two or more CDRPs, either wholly or partially. The look-up table is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/cdrp-constituency-table.xls
	Copies of both the statistics table and the look-up table are available in the Library.

Departmental Accountancy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1252W, on departmental accountancy, what general rate of inflation is taken into account by her Department in uprating fees for its services.

Liam Byrne: Fees for Home Office services are adjusted based on modelling of the future costs of provision. This is based on a range of factors which could include demand projections, the contracts involved, Government pay policy, efficiency plans and the general rate of inflation.
	Therefore adjustments to fees will not directly track any particular measure of inflation.

Departmental Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will include the name of the relevant constituent on her Department's cards acknowledgement of correspondence from hon. Members about constituents to facilitate access to previous correspondence.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 25 April 2008
	Acknowledgement cards sent to hon. Members already provide brief details of the constituent on whose behalf they have contacted the Home Office. Any references provided by Members are also included.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what visits she made to  (a) Harrogate International Centre,  (b) International Conference Centre, Birmingham,  (c) Manchester Central,  (d) Scottish Exhibitional and Conference Centre, Glasgow,  (e) Edinburgh International Conference Centre,  (f) Bournemouth International Conference Centre,  (g) the Brighton Centre, Brighton,  (h) the Riviera Centre, Torquay,  (i) Queen Elizabeth Centre, London,  (j) Excel Conference Centre, Docklands, London, and  (k) Business Design Centre, Islington, London, in the period 1st January 2005 to 31st December 2007; and what events she attended at each.

Liam Byrne: Since taking the position of Home Secretary in June 2007 my right hon. Friend has visited the following venues in her ministerial capacity:
	
		
			  Venue  Event  Date 
			 Queen Elizabeth Centre Home Office Senior Civil Service event 4 October 2007 
			 Queen Elizabeth Centre Conference with senior stakeholders on crime 16 October 2007 
			 Queen Elizabeth Centre SOCA staff event 19 December 2007 
			 Queen Elizabeth Centre Home Office Network staff event 12 March 2008 
			 Business Design Centre, Islington Speech on alcohol-related issues 6 February 2008 
			 Edinburgh International Conference Centre National Police Memorial Day Service 23 September 2007 
		
	
	My right hon. Friend has not visited any other of the venues in a ministerial capacity between her appointment in June 2007 and 31 December 2007.
	Between 1 January 2005 and my right hon. Friend's appointment as Home Secretary her predecessors visited the following venues for the following events in their ministerial capacity:
	
		
			  Venue  Event  Date 
			 Queen Elizabeth Centre Home Office event 5 July 2005 
			 Queen Elizabeth Centre FCO Leadership Conference 28 March 2006 
			 Queen Elizabeth Centre Home Office Senior Civil Service event 21 June 2006 
			 Queen Elizabeth Centre Security and Resilience Forumkey note speech 31 October 2006 
			 Queen Elizabeth Centre Home Office Senior Civil Service event 7 November 2006 
			 Queen Elizabeth Centre Launch of the New Asylum Model 12 March 2007 
			 Queen Elizabeth Centre Home Office Network staff event 14 March 2007 
			 Queen Elizabeth Centre Public Services Reform Conference 27 March 2007 
			 Excel Conference Centre Speech at the ACPO and APA Conference 25 May 2006 
		
	
	None of my right hon. Friend's predecessors have visited any other of the venues in a ministerial capacity between 1 January 2005 and the appointment of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.

Departmental Internet

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what websites her Department operates.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office operates the following websites:
	
		
			  Websites the Home Office operates 
			   Website 
			 101 www.101.gov.uk/ 
			 a:gender www.csag.org.uk/ 
			 Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Immigration (ABNI) www.abni.org.uk 
			 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) www.drugs.gov.uk/drugs-laws/acmd/ 
			 Advisory Panel on Country Information (APCI) www.apci.org.uk 
			 Animal Procedures Committee (APC) www.apc.gov.uk 
			 Assets Recovery Agency www.assetsrecovery.gov.uk 
			 Border and Immigration Agency www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk# 
			 Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure www.cpnatinf.gov.uk 
			 Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre www.ceop.gov.uk 
			 Connected(gun crime practitioners) www.connected.gov.uk 
			 Crime Statistics www.crimestatistics.org.uk 
			 Criminal Records Bureau www.crb.gov.uk 
			 Family Records Centre (PRO) www.familyrecords.gov.uk 
			 Financial Investigator Support System (Assets Recovery Agency) www.fiss.gov.uk 
			 General Register Office www.gro.gov.uk 
			 Home Office www.homeoffice.gov.uk 
			 Home Office (Immigration and Nationality Directorate) www.hoindstaff.gov.uk 
			 Identity and Passport Service www.ips.gov.uk 
			 Identity Theftcross gov campaign www.identity-theft.org.uk 
			 Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) www.ipcc.gov.uk 
			 Independent Safeguarding Authority www.isa-gov.org.uk 
			 Investigatory Powers Tribunal www.ipt-uk.com 
			 Life in the UK Test www.lifeintheuktest.gov.uk 
			 National Anti-Fraud Network www.nafn.gov.uk 
			 National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) www.secureyourfertiliser.gov.uk 
			 National Police Improvement Agency www.npia.police.uk 
			 National Refugee Integration Forum (NRIF) www.nrif.org.uk/ 
			 Neighbourhood policing www.neighbourhoodpolicing.co.uk 
			 Office of Surveillance Commissioners www.surveillancecommissioners.gov.uk 
			 Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) www.oisc.gov.uk 
			 Police Could Yourecruitment website www.policecouldyou.co.uk 
			 Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) www.pito.org.uk 
			 Police portal www.police.uk/ 
			 Queen's Award for Voluntary Service www.queensawardvoluntary.gov.uk 
			 Security Industry Authority (SIA) www.the-sia.org.uk 
			 SOCA www.soca.gov.uk/ 
			 Stop and Search www.stopandsearch.com/ 
			 Technical Advisory Board (for the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000) (TAB) www.technicaladvisoryboard.org.uk 
			 Think U Know(child safety online campaign) www.thinkuknow.co.uk 
			 Treatment the Works www.treatmenttheworks.com 
			 UK visas www.ukvisas.gov.uk 
			 Working in the UK www.workingintheuk.gov.uk

Departmental Manpower

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed by her Department on 1st January in each of the last five years; and how many of these staff were  (a) permanent employees,  (b) temporary staff and  (c) contractors.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office annual reports provide the staff numbers for each of the last five years.
	 2007
	Annual report
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/ho-annual-report-07?view=Binary
	 2006
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/ho-annual-report-06?view=Binary
	 2004-05
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/ho-annual-report-0405/annrep2005-0-complete?view=Binary
	 2002-03
	http://www.archive2.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm54/5406/5406.pdf
	 2003-04
	2003-04 annual report is in the public domain, and is in the House Library.

Departmental Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants,  (b) special advisers and  (c) Ministers in her Department staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: Expenditure figures for the Home Office on overnight accommodation by civil servants and all Ministers for the financial year 2006-07 (the last 12 months for which audited figures are available) was 8.28 million.
	These figures apply to the period prior to the machinery of government changes when the Department employed approximately 78,000 staff. They include information for the core Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency, the Office for Criminal Justice Reform and the National Offender Management Service (the latter two are now part of the Ministry of Justice). The Home Office currently employs approximately 25,000 staff.
	The requested staff and regional splits could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	When travelling on departmental business, officials are expected to make efficient and cost-effective accommodation arrangements.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for which losses her Department was granted Treasury approval in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: All losses incurred by the Home Office during the last five years have been managed by the Department within the scope of authorities delegated by the Treasury. Current thresholds for losses agreed with the Treasury are:
	
		
			   Loss () 
			 Write-offs 25,000,000 
			 Bad debts 10,000,000 
			 Fraud/theft 50,000 
			 Abandoned/waived claims 50,000 
			 Penalties under the Immigration Act 1987 50,000 
		
	
	The overall level of losses incurred by the Home Office in any one year is reported in its Resource Accounts.

Departmental Written Questions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many written parliamentary questions her Department took longer than 10 days to answer in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: The available information is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Session  Total number of written parliamentary questions received  Total number of written parliamentary questions that took longer than 10 days to answer  Proportion of written parliamentary questions that took longer than 10 days to answer (Percentage) 
			 2006-07 5,964 1,370 23 
			 2007-08(1) 2,764 814 29 
			 (1) Data based on questions answered up to 22 April 2008.

Discrimination

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims for discrimination, based on  (a) sex,  (b) race and  (c) sexual orientation, were brought by members of her Department and settled (i) in and (ii) out of court in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Information on employment tribunals is only available for part of the period requested.
	Records held centrally within Home Office headquarters, the Border and Immigration Agency, the Identity and Passport Service and the Criminal Records Bureau show that the number of settled employment tribunal claims brought under each category is as follows:
	
		
			  Type of c ase  2005( 1)  2006( 2)  2007( 3)  Total 
			 Discrimination: Sex 0 3 6 9 
			 Discrimination: Race 0 1 1 2 
			 Discrimination: Sexual Orientation 0 0 2 2 
			 (1) 2005 information includes Home Office HQ and the Criminal Records Bureau. (2) 2006 information includes Home Office HQ, the Border and Immigration Agency and the Criminal Records Bureau. (3) 2007 information includes Home Office HQ, the Border and Immigration Agency, the Identity and Passport Service and the Criminal Records Bureau. 
		
	
	Six of the claims brought in 2007 were settled out of court as follows:
	
		
			  Claims settled out of court  2007 
			 Discrimination: Sex 4 
			 Discrimination: Race 2 
			 Discrimination: Sexual Orientation 1 
		
	
	Information on the settlement of the other seven cases is not held centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances: Olympic Games 2012

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to facilitate attendance of overseas visitors to the 2012 Olympic Games through the visa system.

Liam Byrne: We intend to facilitate attendance of overseas visitors to the 2012 Olympic Games. For those overseas nationals that require a visa to enter the UK, the UK Border Agency is considering whether value would be added by developing a major events visaincluding to promote the 2012 Cultural Olympiad; the Olympic Games; and the Paralympic Games. This was included in recent consultation on visitor visas and we will discuss proposals further with appropriate stakeholders.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the number of foreign nationals on student visas who worked more than the permitted 20 hours during term time in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: There is no estimate of the number of foreign nationals on student visas who worked more than the permitted 20 hours during term time in the last 12 months.
	Refusals of applications for variations of leave on this basis are not receded separately to refusals for other reasons and therefore cannot be identified, except at a disproportionate cost.

Genetics: Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether any checks on the Dutch disk containing DNA samples of criminals remain to be completed;
	(2)  how many matches have been found between the Dutch disk containing the DNA samples of suspected criminals and  (a) the national DNA database and  (b) other records or databases checked; how many people whose profiles have been matched have been convicted of a criminal offence since January 2007; and what those offences were.

Jacqui Smith: As part of an initiative to exchange data between the UK and Holland, 2,159 DNA profiles from crime scenes in Holland were searched against the UK National DNA Database. The operational police response to the DNA crime scene data supplied by the Dutch is being led by a group chaired by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) on which the Serious Organised Crime Agency, the National Policing Improvement Agency, the National DNA Database (NDNAD) Custodian, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Home Office are represented.
	This remains a continuing police operation in liaison with the Dutch authorities.
	I am continuing to liaise with ACPO to be clear when a formal report to Parliament would be appropriate.

Genetics: Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of adventitious matches expected to arise between crime scene DNA profiles submitted by law enforcement agencies elsewhere in the European Union and individuals' DNA profiles held on the national DNA databases in each of the next five years;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of adventitious matches expected to arise between crime scene DNA profiles submitted by UK police and individuals' DNA profiles held on the national DNA database in each of the next five years.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 31 March 2008
	When the UK National DNA Database (NDNAD) was set up in 1995, the SGM profiling system was used. This looked at six areas of DNA, plus a gender marker. The probability of an adventitious (chance) match between full SGM DNA profiles of unrelated individuals is of the order of one in 50 million. As the NDNAD grew in size, instances did come to light where different individuals were found to have the same SGM profile, hence the decision to change to SGM Plus in 1999.
	The quoted probability of a match between full SGM Plus DNA profiles of unrelated individuals is one in one billion (i.e. one in a thousand million).
	The NDNAD Custodian carefully monitors replicate DMA profiles loaded to the Database, and a key reason for doing this is to identify potential adventitious matches between SGM Plus DMA profiles derived from unrelated individuals. To date, no such adventitious match has been found. This indicates the SGM Plus match probability to be significantly lower than the figure quotedit is probably better than one in one trillion (i.e. one in a million million).
	Safeguards against possible miscarriages of justice arising from adventitious matches operate at two levelsfirstly, further investigation of matches using the SGM Plus technique, and secondly, the fact that if a person is to be charged on the basis of a DNA match, the CPS require that there must be supporting non-DNA evidence available to be used in evidence. DNA evidence is one piece of the information that the courts would require for a successful prosecution.
	Other EU states use different profiling systems and do not publish information on the likelihood of adventitious matches using these systems. However, the level of overlap between SGM Plus DNA profiles and those developed by other systems is that the discriminating power will typically be of the same order as the SGM (rather than the SGM Plus) level. It is thus extremely important that all possible opportunities are taken to improve the discriminating power associated with a match, for example by re-analysis of the sample to upgrade, the profile before any other information on the identity of a suspect nominated by a DNA match is disclosed to an overseas police authority.

Heathrow Airport: Security

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she held with BAA in advance of the introduction of universal fingerprinting at Heathrow Terminal 5; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: In the building of Terminal 5 at Heathrow, the British Airports Authority (BAA) took the decision to introduce a common departure lounge (CDL). BAA were required to ensure that any immigration risks arising from the mixing of domestic and international passengers were mitigated and a working group, which includes BAA, British Airways (BA), the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) and other control agencies, has worked together since 2005 to consider appropriate mitigation measures. BAA presented a number of systems which they believed were capable of mitigating the risks to Border Security and following a number of trials, fingerprinting together with digital facial recognition comparison were identified as the most effective solution. However, to ensure that the proposed system is fully validated by the Information Commissioner, it has been agreed that the system will operate using only digital photography until such validation is given.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary: Public Appointments

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the contract of the Chief Inspector of Constabulary has been extended without a competitive process since the inception of the post.

Tony McNulty: The contracts of two HM Chief Inspectors of Constabulary (HMCIC) have been extended since 1962, when the first HMCIC was appointed. These appointments were made in accordance with the principles of the Commissioner for Public Appointments' code of practice.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary: Public Appointments

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of service of Chief Inspectors of Constabulary has been since the inception of the post.

Tony McNulty: The average (mean) length of service for HM Chief Inspectors of Constabulary (excluding the current HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary) since the first appointment in 1962 is two years and eight months.

Identity Cards: Foreigners

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what characteristics distinguish the identity cards to be issued to foreign nationals from the visas that are currently issued to them.

Liam Byrne: The identity card for foreign nationals will be a highly secure polycarbonate card which will contain the holder's biometric identifiers in a tamperproof embedded chip including a photograph and two fingerprints. The visas issued contain photographs but unlike the cards do not store the fingerprints that are enrolled when an application is made outside the UK. The biometric data collected as part of the visa application process are checked against immigration records in the UK.

Identity Cards: Foreigners

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which categories of foreign nationals require visas; which categories will be issued with identity cards in future and from what date; and which categories will be required to obtain the relevant documentation  (a) before and  (b) after entry to the UK.

Liam Byrne: The categories of foreign nationals requiring visas can be found on the following website: www.ukvisas.gov.uk along with the documentation required to support applications for entry clearance to the UK. Non-visa nationals from outside the EEA will normally only require entry clearance if visiting the UK for longer than six months. The rollout strategy document Introducing Compulsory Identity Cards for Foreign Nationals' published on 6 March (a copy is available in the House Library) sets out the approach to issuing identity cards for foreign nationals. We will phase in the introduction of the card, starting with those applying for leave to remain as students. Within three years all new applicants will have to apply for an identity card alongside their immigration application.

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department's advertising campaign concerning the employment of illegal labour cost.

Liam Byrne: The total cost for running the Illegal Working Campaign was 913,608. The campaign was run in two phases, the first phase ran in October/November 2007 the second in January/February 2008. The campaign comprised radio and press adverts in trade, national and regional publications.

Immigration

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) illegal immigrants and  (b) failed asylum seekers detained by the police have been sent unaccompanied to immigration detention or removal centres in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers detained by the police are not sent unaccompanied to immigration detention or removal centres.

Immigration Controls

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the proportion of immigrants who will be affected by the introduction of the proposed points-based system.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 April 2008
	The Office for National Statistics produces total international migration (TIM) estimates of the number of people legally entering and leaving the country each year. The TIM calculations are based largely from data from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) which gives both the reasons for entry to the UK and the citizenship of those arriving.
	Once fully established, the points based system will cover non-EU work-related migrants, students and their dependants. We estimate this will cover close to six in 10 of the non-British inflow.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what process is used to admit UK service personnel who are nationals of Commonwealth countries through UK airport immigration; and what representations she has received on difficulties experienced by those personnel.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 24 April 2008
	The Immigration Act 1971 exempts from immigration control a member of the United Kingdom's armed forces subject to service law. A person is regarded as exempt from control (except for the provisions relating to deportation) so long as he or she is a member of those forces.
	Members of the United Kingdom's armed forces are required to produce to an immigration officer documentary evidence of their exemption from control. They may hold a national passport which has already been endorsed with an exemption from control stamp or, alternatively, they may hold a personal identity card issued by the military authority to which they belong. Both are normally sufficient to demonstrate their entitlement to be treated as exempt.
	Data relating to representations made by HM forces personnel about difficulties experienced by them when passing through the immigration control are not collated and are therefore unavailable.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will introduce an expedited immigration service for UK service personnel who are nationals of Commonwealth countries entering the UK at airports.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 24 April 2008
	The Immigration Act 1971 exempts from immigration control a member of the United Kingdom's armed forces subject to service law. A person is regarded as exempt from control (except for the provisions relating to deportation) so long as he or she is a member of those forces.
	Members of the United Kingdom's armed forces are required to produce to an Immigration Officer documentary evidence of their exemption from control. They may hold a national passport which has already been endorsed with an exemption from control stamp or, alternatively, they may hold a personal identity card issued by the military authority to which they belong. Both are normally sufficient to demonstrate their entitlement to be treated as exempt.
	Given their exempt status and the need to provide evidence of that status to an Immigration Officer, there are no plans to alter the processes in place for members of the United Kingdom's armed forces who arrive at airports in the United Kingdom.

Immigration Controls: Tuberculosis

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to prevent the entry to the UK of those with  (a) tuberculosis and  (b) extreme drug resistant tuberculosis.

Liam Byrne: Those seeking leave to enter the UK for more than six months, who are subject to immigration control and who come from countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis of all types (over 40 cases of TB per 100,000 population) as well as or those who claim asylum at port are routinely referred to the port medical inspector (PMI) for medical examination, which includes TB screening. In addition, immigration officers are required to refer for medical examination anyone who appears ill, or who mentions health or illness as a reason for coming to the UK.
	In addition visa applicants from countries with a particularly high prevalence of TB are required to undergo TB screening before seeking a visa. Anyone found to have active infectious TB must complete a course of treatment in their home country before being granted entry clearance. The countries specified include Bangladesh, Kenya (which also covers Eritrean and Somali nationals who travel there to apply for visas), Ghana (which also takes applications from Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo and Niger) and Pakistan, Sudan, Tanzania and Thailand (which also processes visa applications for residents of Cambodia and Laos).
	Decisions on any further development of the programme will be taken in the light of an evaluation of the scheme which is expected to take place later this year.

Immigration Officers: Powers

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the offences are for which an immigration officer can  (a) detain and  (b) arrest an individual at a UK port.

Jacqui Smith: There are 50 offences for which an immigration officer may arrest and detain an individual at a United Kingdom port. A full list of offences is contained in Annex A.
	Under section 2 of the UK Borders Act 2007 a designated immigration officer at a port in England, Wales or Northern Ireland may also detain (for a maximum of three hours) any individual who the officer thinks is subject to a warrant for arrest or may be liable to arrest by a constable for any offence, pending arrival of a constable.
	
		
			  Powers of arrest under section 28A Immigration Act 1971 
			   Offence 
			 S.24(1)(a) Entry without leave/in breach of Deportation Order (or attempting) 
			 S.24(l)(d) Failure to submit to medical examination 
			 S.24(1)(e) Failure to comply with Temporary Admission 
			 S.24(l)(f) Disembarks after being placed on board for Removal Directions 
			 S.24(l)(g) Breach of condition of restriction order under S.3(7) 
			 S.24A(l)(a) Deception to seek/gain Leave To Enter/Remain 
			 S.25(l) Act which knowingly facilitates breach of immigration law by non EU citizen 
			 S.25A(1) Knowingly, for gain, facilitates entry into UK of asylum seeker 
			 S.25B(1) Assisting entry in breach of Deportation Order 
			 S.25B(3) Facilitating the arrival of an excluded person 
			 S.26(1)(g) Obstruction of an Immigration Officer 
			 S.26A(3)(a) Makes false registration card 
			 S.26A(3)(b) Alters card with intent deceive/for another to deceive 
			 S.26A(3)(c) Possession false/altered card without reasonable excuse 
			 S.26A(3)(d) Uses/attempts use false card for purpose which a card is issued 
			 S.26A(3)(e) Uses/attempts use altered card with intent to deceive 
			 S.26A(3)(f) Makes article to be used in making false card 
			 S.26A(3)(g) Makes article to alter card with intent to deceive/enable another to deceive 
			 S.26A(3)(h) Possession (f) or (g) article without reasonable excuse 
			 S.26B(1) Possession immigration stamp without reasonable excuse 
			 S.26B(2) Possession replica immigration stamp without reasonable excuse 
		
	
	
		
			  Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc) Act 2004 
			   Offence 
			 S.2(l) Offence of not having at leave or asylum interview an immigration document which is in force and satisfactorily establishes identity and nationality/citizenship. (Power of arrest under s.2 (10)) 
			 S.2(2) Offence of not having at leave or asylum interview, in respect of a dependant child, an immigration document which is in force and satisfactorily establishes the child's identity and nationality/citizenship. (Power of arrest under s.2 (10)) 
			 S.4(l) Arranging or facilitating the arrival in the UK of a person, where the accused intends to exploit that person or believes that another person is likely to do so. (Power of arrest under s.14(1)) 
			 S.4(2) Arranging or facilitating travel within the UK by a person, where the accused intends to exploit that person or believes that another person is likely to do so 
			 S.4(3) Arranging or facilitating the departure from the UK of a person, where the accused intends to exploit that person outside the UK or believes that another person is likely to do so 
		
	
	
		
			  S.14  Power of arrest under s. 14(1) for offences listed 
			   Offence 
			 Common Law Conspiracy to Defraud 
			 s.57 Offences v Person Act 1861 Bigamy (offences against person act 1861) 
			 s.3(1)(a) Perjury Act 1911 Making a false statement to procure marriage 
			 s.3(1)(b) Perjury Act 1911 Make false statement for entry in marriage register 
			 s.4 Perjury Act 1911 False statement relating to birth and death 
			 s.7 Perjury Act 1911 (for ss 3 and 4) Aiding and abetting offences under ss 3 and 4 of the Perjury Act 1911 
			 s.1 Theft Act 1968 Theft 
			 s.15 Theft Act 1968 Obtaining property by deception 
			 s.16 Theft Act 1968 Obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception 
			 s.17 Theft Act 1968 False accounting 
			 s.22 Theft Act 1968 Handling stolen goods 
			 s.1 Theft Act 1978 Obtaining services by deception 
			 s.2 Theft Act 1978 Evading liability by deception 
			 s.1 Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 Forgery 
			 s.2 Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 Copying false instrument 
			 s.3 Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 Using false instrument 
			 s.4 Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 Using copy of false instrument 
			 s.25(l) Identity Cards Act 2006 Possession of a false identity document with intent 
			 s.25(3) Identity Cards Act 2006 Possession of article designed to make false identity document 
			 s.25(5) Identity Cards Act 2006 Possession of false identity document 
			 s.57 Sexual Offences Act 2003 Trafficking into UK for sexual exploitation 
			 s.58 Sexual Offences Act 2003 Trafficking within UK for sexual exploitation 
			 s.59 Sexual Offences Act 2003 Trafficking out of UK for sexual exploitation 
			 S.35(3) Failing to comply with a requirement of the S of S under section 35(1), without reasonable excuse (i.e. failure to comply with re-documentation process)

Immigration Officers: Sick Leave

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many self-certified days of sick leave were taken per head by  (a) immigration officers,  (b) other Border and Immigration Agency staff,  (c) police and  (d) staff in her core Department in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The number of self-certified sick days of leave taken per head by immigration officers and other border and immigration staff in each of the last three years are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number 
			  Immigration officers  
			 2005 1.70 
			 2006 1.80 
			 2007 2.04 
			   
			  BIA staff  
			 2005 1.63 
			 2006 1.47 
			 2007 1.51 
		
	
	The periods are calendar years2005, 2006 and 2007. Data previous to 2005 are unavailable due to lack of central recording. All data are obtained from the Home Office personnel systemAdelphi.
	 Police
	The number of self-certified sick days of leave taken by police staff in each of the last three years are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Days  Hours 
			 2002-03 10.4  
			 2003-04 9.6  
			 2004-05  70.9 
			 2005-06  69.3 
			 2006-07  69.7 
		
	
	Data on police officer self-certified absence are not available. Data are collected for all sick absences and since 2004-05 is collated and published as part of the Policing Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF). Those data are the form of working hours lost to sickness and are published on the Home Office website. Data for and prior to 2003-04, are not on the same basis as those available for 2004-05 onwards. Those earlier data are the form of working days lost.
	 Core Home Office
	The number of self-certified sick days of leave taken by core Home Office staff in each of the last three years are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Core staff 
			  Calendar year  Days 
			 2005 0.68 
			 2006 0.83 
			 2007 0.89 
		
	
	Data prior to 2005 are unavailable due to lack of central recording of data. The information has been obtained from the Home Office personnel databaseAdelphi.

Immigration: EC Action

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the outcomes for the UK of the European Return Preparatory Actions 2005-06; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 25 March 2008
	In 2005 the European Community funded a total of 16 projects under the RETURN 2005 programme. The UK was partner in four of these projects working with 12 other member states and one non-governmental organisation.
	In 2006 the European Community funded a total of 20 projects under the RETURN 2006 programme. The UK was partner in five of these projects working with seven other member states and two non-governmental organisations.
	The projects we have participated in have not yet been fully evaluated, however we have mostly supported assisted voluntary return which we consider very important in the UK. Reintegration assistance helps break the cycle of migration; meaning return is more sustainable for individuals and families, and contributes indirectly to communities in the country of origin. We have also gained expertise from working with other countries on these projects.

Immigration: Interpreters

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what scale of fees was payable to interpreters by  (a) the Immigration Service and  (b) each other police force in respect of (i) illegal entry and (ii) criminal matters in each of the last five years; how much was paid for such services in each such year in each category; and what expenses are payable.

Tony McNulty: The following tables set out the scale of fees payable to and amounts paid for interpreters in respect of the Immigration Service and the Metropolitan police. Figures are not held centrally on other police force areas and such information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  (a) Immigration Service: Interpreters fees, 2003-04 
			   Hourly rates () 
			  Monday to Saturday  
			 First hour 48 
			 Then 0801 to 1800 hrs 16 
			 Then 1801 to 0800 hrs 20 
			   
			  Sundays/bank holidays 72 
			 First hour 32 
			 Then  
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Metropolitan Police: Interpreters fees 
			  Hourly rates () 
			   Monday to Saturday  Sunday/bank holidays 
			   0800 to 2000 hrs  2000 to 0800 hrs  
			 2003-04 31.50 47.25 63 
			 2004-05 32.45 47.25 64.90 
			 2005-06 33.42 50.13 66.84 
			 2006-07 34.26 51.39 68.52 
			 2007-08 (1) (1) (1) 
			 (1) As 2006-07. 
		
	
	
		
			  (c) Immigration Service: Expenditure incurred 
			   
			   Home Office  UK Borders Agency 
			 2003-04 (1)13,499,482  
			 2004-05  14,184,786 
			 2005-06  9,814,901 
			 2006-07  8,835,259 
			 2007-08  7,158,204 
			 (1) Represents budget for interpreters services for Home Office, including Immigration Service. 
		
	
	
		
			  (d) Metropolitan police: Expenditure incurred 
			   
			   Interpreting fees  Interpreting expenses  Interpreting total  Translation fees  Total costs language services 
			 2003-04 6,787,041.61 186,597.36 6,973,638.97 501,255.47 7,474,894.44 
			 2004-05 6,390,840.93 250,696.68 6,641,537.61 566,322.39 7,207,860.00 
			 2005-06 8,502,502.62 228,039.56 8,730,542.18 592,037.56 9,322,579.74 
			 2006-07 8,732,733.26 212,229.41 8,944,962.67 681,158.22 9,626,120.89 
			 2007-08 9,269,764.11 225,496.82 9,495,260.93 476,002.14 9,971,263.07 
		
	
	
		
			  (e) Expenses payable 
			   Car  Parking costs  Public transport 
			 Metropolitan police (1) (1) (1) 
			 
			 UKBA 23.8p per mile Actual costs or maximum of 13 in short stay parking Actual fare based on tickets/receipts provided, most economical route taken and fare over 13. 
			 (1) Figures not available.

Immigration: Iraq

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iraqi nationals living in  (a) Jordan,  (b) Syria and  (c) Iran who have worked under contract with British forces under Operation Telic have (i) applied for and (ii) been granted (A) asylum and (B) residency in the UK since March 2003; and what criteria are used in deciding on such applications.

Liam Byrne: The figures requested are not collated and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Immigration: Local Authorities

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2008,  Official Report, column 611W, on immigration: local authorities, how much is available under the transitional costs fund in 2008-09; how many local authorities have submitted claims to the fund; what the value of the claims submitted have been; which local authorities have made claims; what the value of the claim was in each case; and how much had been disbursed to local authorities at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 24 April 2008
	The financial support available will depend on the claims made by local authorities.
	At the present time no payments have been made to any local authority. Support will be made available to individual authorities for a maximum of six months after they have begun to incur qualifying expenditure. Lin Homer will update the Home Affairs Select Committee in the summer.

Internet: Crime

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost of cybercrime to the economy in 2007-08.

Jacqui Smith: There is no central estimate of the cost of cybercrime to the economy in 2007-08.

JP Morgan

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department paid to JP Morgan in each year since 1997; and what the purpose of the payment was in each case.

Liam Byrne: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999; since that date, no payments have been made to this company.

Lorries: Foreign Companies

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the adequacy of police resources for ensuring that operators and drivers of non-UK lorries comply with regulations relating to the haulage industry; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The deployment of resources to enforce compliance with regulations relating to commercial vehicles, irrespective of whether there operating base is in the UK or elsewhere, is an operational matter for individual chief officers of police.
	In addition to the enforcement carried out by the police on commercial vehicles, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) has a specific responsibility to help ensure that all commercial vehicles and drivers travelling on our roads comply with the law. Additional funding has been made available to VOSA to enable them to increase significantly the number of checks they make on vehicles engaged in international journeys.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration, the hon. Member for Birmingham Hodge Hill, to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Wycombe of 28 February 2008 on visas.

Liam Byrne: The UK Border Agency (International Group) replied on behalf of the Minister on 8 April 2008.

Migration

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with G6 member states on the European Pact on Migration; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Home Office Ministers have had discussions on migration in a variety of fora following the G6 Conclusions on a European Pact on Managing Migration in October 2007.
	We will continue to hold discussions with G6 and other member states as part of our joint work to strengthen borders, reduce asylum shopping and combat illegal migration.

Missing Persons

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support is available to relatives or friends of missing persons; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Help and support is available for the families and friends of missing people from family liaison officers of the investigating police force, the voluntary sector and the National Policing Improvement Agency's (NPIA) Missing Persons Bureau (MPB).
	The MPB was launched on 1 April 2008 and works closely with the charity Missing People. Missing People, and a number of other similar charities, work with young runaways, missing and unidentified people, their families, friends and others who are, or have been, affected by the issue of missing people.
	Missing People is part funded by the Government (approximately 700,000 this year). This service includes support, advice, guidance and practical help to the families of those who have gone missing through:
	a dedicated national 24-hour support helpline for families and friends of missing people;
	case publicity via poster campaigns, internet appeals, a network of national media partners and features;
	a national 24-hour confidential sightings service;
	Runaway Helplinea 24-hour confidential helpline for runaways, offering help and advice to young people who have run away from home or care, or who have been forced to leave;
	Message Homea 24-hour free confidential telephone service that offers help, advice and support to adults who are missing.
	Identificationa specialist service offered by Missing People to support police, coroners, hospitals and social services to resolve cases of unidentified people (alive or dead).
	Support is also available for families of abducted children from other charities including Reunite. Reunite provide advice, information and support to parents/guardians and family members, who have had a child abducted or who fear child abduction. Reunite also provide advice to parents who may have abducted their child as well as advising on international contact issues.
	The MPB acts as the centre for the exchange of information connected with the search for missing people nationally and internationally. This includes the co-ordination between police forces, relevant agencies, charities and other organisations working in the field of missing people. The Bureau already works closely with Government Departments, including the Home Office and the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Morgan Stanley

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department paid to Morgan Stanley in each year since 1997; and what the purpose of each such payment was.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office's accounting systems do not hold any records of payments to Morgan Stanley.

National Refugee Integration Forum

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the National Refugee Integration Forum was dissolved; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The National Refugee Integration Forum was wound up in October 2006 as part of a wider programme of changes to stakeholder engagement within immigration which were announced in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate reform plan published earlier that year.

Offenders: Deportation

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much  (a) was spent on the facilitated returns scheme in 2006-07 and  (b) has been spent in 2007-08.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 14 March 2008
	The Facilitated Returns Scheme has been operating since October 2006. Between 1 November 2006 and 31 October 2007 around 350,000 has been spent on the scheme, including administrative costs.

Official Residences

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2008,  Official Report, column 807W, on official residences, on what date the property was valued at 2.4 million.

Liam Byrne: The property was valued as at 31 March 2006.

Official Residences

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2008,  Official Report, column 807W, on official residences, if she will provide a breakdown of the 4,500 incurred in costs.

Liam Byrne: The breakdown is 3,000 for utilities and the balance for council tax. For completeness the annual rent for the property continued to be paid during this period, this amounted to 7,100 per year.

Police Stations

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what information she holds on the number of police stations per 1,000 people in  (a) non-rural and  (b) rural areas in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what information she holds on the number of police stations in each police force area in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The Department does not hold the information requested centrally, and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Police Stations: Greater London

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  which police stations in the Metropolitan Police force area are planned to be closed;
	(2)  which police stations in the Metropolitan Police force area are planning to open to the public for fewer hours per week than at present.

Tony McNulty: The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and the chief officer, who are responsible for assessing local needs.

Police: Bureaucracy

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the average time taken by a police officer in England to complete the administrative requirements relating to an arrest, timed from the moment of arrest.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not available. The number of forms and documents needed to be completed by a police officer is dependent on the circumstances of the arrest and the complexity of each individual case.
	Sir Ronnie Flanagan's Review of Policing, published in February this year, addressed the issue of police-related bureaucracy. The review made a number of recommendations on this subject, including a review of police operational codes of practice, the expansion of mobile data, a more in-depth analysis of risk (and how this in turn may impact on bureaucratic tendencies in the service), and the further streamlining of criminal justice processes. My right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, has endorsed Sir Ronnie's report and expects his recommendations to form the next drive against unnecessary bureaucracy in the police service.

Police: Finance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of crime reduction on the police funding formula in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 April 2008,  Official Report, column 763W.

Police: Internet

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much her Department has spent on the website www.policecouldyou.co.uk in each month since its inception; what the budget for the website is for 2008-09; how many staff are employed to maintain the website; and how many unique visitors there were to the website in each month since its inception;
	(2)  how much was spent on the website www.police.homeoffice.gov.uk in each month since its inception; what the budget for the website is for 2008-09; how many staff are employed to maintain the website; and how many unique visitors there were to the website in each month since its inception.

Liam Byrne: It is not possible to extract the costs of this website from the others we manage.

Police: Public Places

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers on improving the visibility of the police in public places.

Tony McNulty: As the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Association of Police Authorities (APA) have announced, from 1 April 2008 every area in England and Wales has a dedicated neighbourhood policing team providing an accessible and visible police presence in local communities.
	This marks a new era in policing where neighbourhood policing teams work with communities to agree local priorities for action, such as anti-social behaviour, and solve local problems. Teams will be contactable by phone, through community meetings or by accessing their details through a new website.
	The Home Office has worked closely with ACPO and the wider police service, and partners, to deliver neighbourhood policing, and will continue to do so in order to embed this style of policing into everyday policing activity.

Police: Recruitment

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many job applications were received by each police force in each year since 1997; and how many people each recruited in each year;
	(2)  how many  (a) applications to join and  (b) recruits there were for each police force in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The requested data on applications have been collected since 2002-03 and where available are given in Table 1. The data provided here are management information and as such it is important to note that they are provisional and have not been subjected to the usual quality assurance practices.
	 (b) The requested data on recruits have been collected since 2002-03 and are given in Table 2.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number( 1)  of formal application forms( 2)  received by police forces from 2002-03 to 20O6-07 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Avon and Somerset 916 446 n/a 2121 2,062 
			 Bedfordshire 1,940 n/a 635 n/a n/a 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,511 n/a n/a 783 n/a 
			 Cheshire 4,532 n/a 779 n/a 1,666 
			 Cleveland 1,464 n/a 113 n/a n/a 
			 Cumbria 1,085 767 105 226 243 
			 Derbyshire 2,884 753 113 n/a n/a 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3,614 1,203 1,366 1,397 n/a 
			 Dorset 1,224 n/a n/a n/a 358 
			 Durham 1,343 n/a n/a 2,019 n/a 
			 Dyfed-Powys 859 366 n/a 897 n/a 
			 Essex 2,282 2,127 571 925 n/a 
			 Gloucestershire 1,062 245 795 963 n/a 
			 Greater Manchester n/a 3,642 200 n/a n/a 
			 Gwent 1,493 1,005 n/a 918 931 
			 Hampshire 5,820 1,349 n/a 1,949 1,766 
			 Hertfordshire 1,992 1,224 333 1,103 679 
			 Humberside 1,349 1,519 n/a 996 n/a 
			 Kent 3,027 n/a 1,401 1,347 n/a 
			 Lancashire n/a 1,961 984 2,742 n/a 
			 Leicestershire 1,421 1,249 n/a 295 n/a 
			 Lincolnshire 1,289 n/a 284 333 n/a 
			 London, City of 594 449 n/a 415 n/a 
			 Merseyside 3,190 1,331 3,137 n/a 1,729 
			 Metropolitan Police n/a 4,065 1,160 3,444 1,460 
			 Norfolk 1,206 n/a 674 854 n/a 
			 Northamptonshire 283 384 451 522 273 
			 Northumbria 3,349 1,074 1,941 1,301 n/a 
			 North Wales 2,219 1,234 1,482 705 n/a 
			 North Yorkshire n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,770 1,104 1,176 n/a 445 
			 South Wales 724 2,204 n/a 1,814 1,102 
			 South Yorkshire 1,300 1,235 807 366 721 
			 Staffordshire 2,043 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Suffolk 1,352 890 442 1,115 n/a 
			 Surrey 2,345 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Sussex 1,051 n/a 1,190 520 n/a 
			 Thames Valley 3,907 2,077 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Warwickshire 651 229 572 468 n/a 
			 West Mercia 3,440 1,959 278 n/a n/a 
			 West Midlands n/a n/a n/a 3,431 n/a 
			 West Yorkshire 4,087 2,704 2,939 769 1,434 
			 Wiltshire 1,183 432 499 n/a n/a 
			 (1) Provisional management information data collected for planning purposes only. Data has not undergone usual quality assurance practices (including validation with individual police forces) and are therefore supplied for information purposes only. (2) Does not include informal expressions of interest. Some forces no longer send out and receive paper application packs and instead receive electronic applications via the www.policecouldyou.co.uk website. Where forces receive application packs from other means it is not always possible to separately identify the number of paper application packs received, and in such cases forces have been instructed to return a zero response. n/a = not available. Force was not able to supply data at the time of collection. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Police officer recruits( 1)  (FTE)( 2)  to police forces from 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Avon and Somerset 40 198 93 123 90 
			 Bedfordshire 89 178 106 54 45 
			 Cambridgeshire 76 107 99 104 34 
			 Cheshire 141 153 105 121 107 
			 Cleveland 129 138 83 114 79 
			 Cumbria 63 113 51 55 58 
			 Derbyshire 146 146 64 66 84 
			 Devon and Cornwall 138 131 200 255 98 
			 Dorset 72 86 76 102 64 
			 Durham 21 104 79 71 42 
			 Essex 40 225 276 224 306 
			 Gloucestershire 53 98 60 70 81 
			 Greater Manchester 113 978 233 277 362 
			 Hampshire 267 282 204 244 249 
			 Hertfordshire 202 279 155 173 185 
			 Humberside 56 188 126 93 95 
			 Kent 192 290 193 209 233 
			 Lancashire 240 311 148 196 165 
			 Leicestershire 116 245 123 96 85 
			 Lincolnshire 64 44 59 54 66 
			 London, City of 44 52 39 41 30 
			 Merseyside 101 192 389 161 312 
			 Metropolitan Police 2,434 2,971 1,886 1,050 1,249 
			 Norfolk 71 56 77 55 49 
			 Northamptonshire 45 99 109 115 68 
			 Northumbria 151 197 159 122 87 
			 North Yorkshire 99 82 71 110 85 
			 Nottinghamshire 89 138 138 54 46 
			 South Yorkshire 103 261 205 148 164 
			 Staffordshire 27 123 108 81 95 
			 Suffolk 81 113 37 45 77 
			 Surrey 92 116 130 124 157 
			 Sussex 139 320 229 236 167 
			 Thames Valley 306 479 361 374 219 
			 Warwickshire 57 51 59 69 66 
			 West Mercia 235 88 90 88 110 
			 West Midlands 478 408 476 442 445 
			 West Yorkshire 277 337 566 176 271 
			 Wiltshire 62 120 70 50 28 
			 Dyfed-Powys 7 53 35 54 47 
			 Gwent 45 78 102 80 69 
			 North Wales 77 66 71 51 44 
			 South Wales 180 173 118 122 118 
			 (1) Recruits included those officers joining as police standard Direct Recruits and those who were previously Special constables. This excludes police officers on transfers from other forces and those rejoining. (2) Full time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.

Police: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on the practice of requiring parish councils to pay for police patrols in rural areas.

Tony McNulty: Parish councils and others write to me from time to time about a variety of funding issues but I have placed no requirement on them to pay for police patrols.
	Police authorities set their own budgets, drawing on local revenues in addition to Government grant. They may seek further funding from the partners with whom they work, including parish councils, as evidence of their commitment to the partnership approach which is an essential element in the successful implementation of neighbourhood policing.

Police: Stun Guns

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures govern the use of Taser-style electric shock weapons by police; and what training police officers are required to receive before using such weapons.

Vernon Coaker: Following a trial in five forces in 2003, the Home Secretary agreed to allow Chief Officers of all forces in England and Wales to make the laser available to authorised firearms officers as a less lethal alternative for use in situations where a firearms authority has been granted in accordance with criteria laid down in the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms.
	Following a request by ACPO my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary agreed in July 2007 that laser may be deployed by an authorised firearms officer beyond situations in which a firearms authority would be granted. In these cases, officers would be facing violence or threats of violence of such severity that they would need to use force to protect the public, themselves and/or the subjects.
	My right hon. Friend also agreed to a 12 month trial, from 1 September 2007, in 10 selected forces of use of laser in similar circumstances by specially trained units who are not authorised firearms officers.
	Full policy and operational guidance documents on the use of laser has been issued by ACPO, and there is a rigorous selection procedure for officers which is fully set out in the ACPO guidance. Laser is only issued to specially trained officers who have successfully completed approved ACPO sponsored training in the use of the device. All officers will be required to successfully complete annual refresher training.

Ports: Arrests

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) detained and  (b) arrested at UK ports in the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: Information pertaining to the number of people detained at UK ports is not fully available due to a change in our data collation systems in 2003. Figures relating to 2003 do not therefore reflect the full year.
	Information relating to persons detained at ports falls into two areas: Those who do not immediately satisfy the Immigration Officer of their eligibility to enter, or who are subject to further examination, and those who are further detained pending the outcome of their application or following refusal of leave to enter.
	In the interests of completeness, figures have been provided in relation to persons detained in order to be subjected to further examination.
	Totals of persons initially detained (at the arrivals control) are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 62,088 
			 2004 61,113 
			 2005 48,110 
			 2006 49,392 
			 2007 54,033 
		
	
	The data provided above have been compiled from locally held management information and as such do not represent national statistics. They may therefore be subject to change.
	Figures relating to arrests at UK ports are available only from April 2006, as these were not previously recorded centrally. Figures for March 2003-06 relate only to Heathrow and Gatwick, and all figures relate only to arrests by Immigration Crime Teams as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			   Heathrow  Gatwick  Total 
			 April 2003 to march 2004 206 160 366 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 410 196 606 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 725 338 1,163 
			 April 2006 to March 20057   1,321 
			 April 2007 to February 2008   957 
		
	
	Numbers of persons arrested by HM Revenue and Customs are available only from April 2005 until March 2007, and are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 2,152 
			 April 2006 to March 2006 2,222

Prisoners: Foreigners

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sentence-expired foreign prisoners are held in detention under immigration powers; and how many have been held in such detention in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 13 March 2008
	The Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee in her letter of 20 November that there were 1,500 foreign national prisoners that were detained under immigration powers. She will continue to update the Committee with the most robust and accurate information available as requested. She has also explained in her letters to the Committee that information prior to April 2006 is not available due to the quality of management information that is held. Copies of these letters are available in the Library of the House.

South Yorkshire Police: Accidents

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many South Yorkshire police vehicles have been involved in an accident while attending an emergency call in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The data provided here are a supplementary series collected on behalf and released with the approval of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). These data are normally used for inspection purposes only.
	The available data on road traffic collisions on public roads during immediate/emergency response and police pursuit have been collected centrally from 2002-03 and are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  R oad traffic collisions during immediate/emergency response and police pursuit for South Yorkshire, from 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 98 
			 2003-04 95 
			 2004-05 52 
			 2005-06 15 
			 2006-07 52

Terrorism Act 2000

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) charged and  (b) convicted of offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 since it came into force.

Jacqui Smith: The Terrorism Act (TACT) 2000 came into force on 19 February 2001. Statistics compiled from police records are available on the Home Office website from 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2007.
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/?view=Standard
	For this period, there were a total of 1,228 arrests; of which 1,165 arrests were made under the Terrorism Act 2000 and 63 arrests under other legislation, where the investigation was conducted as a Terrorist investigation. Of the total 1,228 arrested, 132 were charged with terrorism legislation offences only; 109 were charged with terrorism legislation offences and other criminal offences and 195 charged under other legislation, including murder, grievous bodily harm, firearms, explosives offences, fraud, and false documents.
	Of those charged, there were 41 Terrorism Act 2000 convictions and 183 convictions under other legislation, including murder, explosives offences (including conspiracies), grievous bodily harm, firearms offences, fraud, false documents offences, and other offences (including 12 cautions). Figures are subject to change as cases go through the system. The Home Office is currently working with the police to review how terrorism statistics are collated.
	In addition to the above, statistics on the number of convictions in significant terrorist cases are available for 2007 and 2008. In 2007, 37 individuals were convicted in 15 significant terrorist cases. So far in 2008, 21 people have been convicted in seven significant terrorist cases. There are a range of powers available under other non-TACT legislation, to arrest and charge individuals in connection with terrorist or terrorist related activity. Charges and convictions can and are brought under the most-appropriate legislation.

Terrorism: Crime Prevention

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times she has met home affairs front-bench spokespersons from other political parties to discuss her counter-terrorism proposals since 1st July 2007.

Tony McNulty: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has met the Conservative Shadow Home Secretary and the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson three times to discuss counter-terrorism proposals since 1 July 2007.

Translation Costs

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 785W, on translation costs, how much was spent on translating Home Office publications into languages other than English in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05, ( c) 2006-07 and  (d) in 2007-08 to date.

Tony McNulty: It is not possible to provide this information on the basis of disproportionate cost.

UK Border Agency: Wales

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff of the new UK Border Agency will be based in  (a) Pembroke Dock,  (b) Fishguard,  (c) Swansea,  (d) Holyhead and  (e) Wales.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 April 2008
	The number of staff employed by the former Borders and Immigration Agency was 18,154 at the end of March 2008. This number is the actual active staff at 31 March 2008 and replaces earlier projected figures. Of this 176 were geographically located in Wales.
	On 1 April 2008 the UK Border Agency was created and 2,303 staff transferred from UK Visas. More than 4,000 further staff are expected to join UKBA from HM Revenue and Customs and the final staff total is expected to be around 25,000 but figures are not yet finalised.

Video Conferencing

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will set a target to increase the use of video conferencing by her Department's officials as an alternative to staff travelling to meetings.

Liam Byrne: There are no plans to introduce such a target, however it is now standard practice to put in at least one set of video conferencing (VC) equipment in Home Office properties.

Work Permits

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of illegal migrants employed in the UK without a valid work permit.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 April 2008
	Since the phasing out of border controls in 1994, no Government have ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally and that includes illegal workers. By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately and that remains the case.
	As one of the Government's 10 substantive changes to the border and immigration system in 2008 we will count in and out the majority of foreign nationals. This will build on the successes of our early testing of the e-Borders programme (Project Semaphore) which already covers over 30 million passenger movements and has led to 18,000 alerts and more than 1,500 arrests.
	This is part of a large-scale programme of reform to border protection which also includes the global roll-out of fingerprint visas, compulsory watch-list checks for all travellers from high-risk countries before they land in Britain and ID cards for foreign nationals.

Work Permits

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many employers in the residential and care home industries were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) fined for employing workers without valid work permits in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many agricultural employers were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) fined for employing workers without valid work permits in each of the last three years;
	(3)  how many people were  (a) arrested for,  (b) prosecuted for and  (c) convicted of working illegally in the UK without a valid work permit in each of the last three years;
	(4)  how much was collected in fines from employers of workers without valid work permits in each of the last three years;

Liam Byrne: There are no centrally collated reports on how many employers have been prosecuted specifically within the residential care home and agricultural industries.
	The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons proceeded against for offences under Immigration Acts 1971 to 2004 in England and Wales on an annual basis in table 6.7 of the Control of Immigration: Statistics Command Paper. Published statistics on immigration and asylum are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate web site at:
	http://www/homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	No data are held centrally on the total amount of fines collected from employers prosecuted for employing those without a valid work permit.

Workers Registration Scheme: Greater London

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have registered on the Workers Registration Scheme in each London borough in each year since the scheme was introduced.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office only records the regional distribution of workers from A8 countries when they first registered to the Workers Registration Scheme. Data by local authority were published in February 2008 in concert with the Accession Monitoring Report (AMR) on the Local Government Analysis and Research (LGAR) website.
	The table shows the last published available data by local authority for the number of workers when they first registered to the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) in each London borough since the scheme was introduced.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			  Local authority  May 2004 to March 2006  April to December 2006  January to December 2007 
			 Barking and Dagenham 250 85 135 
			 Barnet 3,170 580 1,155 
			 Bexley 285 85 130 
			 Brent 2,160 685 1,070 
			 Bromley 515 155 220 
			 Camden 5,435 1,640 2,335 
			 City of London 1,955 710 915 
			 Croydon 1,225 390 610 
			 Ealing 3,745 1,310 1,970 
			 Enfield 1,175 465 625 
			 Greenwich 750 340 485 
			 Hackney 1,255 330 540 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,555 1,120 1,380 
			 Haringey 1,650 410 580 
			 Harrow 1,410 500 810 
			 Havering 285 220 260 
			 Hillingdon 2,785 875 1,355 
			 Hounslow 1,785 670 1,045 
			 Islington 1,715 505 745 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2,440 595 820 
			 Kingston upon Thames 705 205 285 
			 Lambeth 1,060 420 525 
			 Lewisham 625 150 195 
			 Merton 1,280 395 535 
			 Newham 1,045 335 330 
			 Redbridge 625 635 750 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1,190 340 500 
			 Southwark 3,110 845 1,220 
			 Sutton 345 115 160 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,515 585 845 
			 Waltham Forest 900 275 505 
			 Wandsworth 1,890 515 630 
			 Westminster 11,745 3,270 4,260 
			 Total 62,575 19,775 27,920 
			  Notes: 1. 98 per cent. of approved nationwide applications currently have an accurate postcode. Applications where postcodes could not be matched to the Office of National Statistics database are excluded from this data-set. 2. Figures based on Employers address and the date the application is approved, rather than the date on the application form as used in the Accession Monitoring Report. 3. Figures are rounded to nearest five. 4. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to total shown. 5. The table presents a gross (cumulative) figure for the number of workers applying to the WRS. The figures are not current: an individual who has registered to work and who leaves employment is not required to de-register, so some of those counted will have left the employment for which they registered and indeed some are likely to have left the UK.

Workers Registration Scheme: Southwark

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people registered on the Workers Registration Scheme in the London Borough of Southwark since the scheme was introduced.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office only records the regional distribution of workers from A8 countries when they first registered to the Workers Registration Scheme. Data by local authority was published in February 2008 in concert with the Accession Monitoring Report (AMR) on the Local Government Analysis and Research (LGAR) website.
	The table shows the last published available data for London borough of Southwark for the number of workers when they first registered to the Workers Registration Scheme (WRS) since the scheme was introduced.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			  Local authority  May 2004 to March 2006  April to December 2006  January to December 2007 
			 Southwark 3,110 845 1,220 
			  Notes: 1. 98 per cent. of approved nationwide applications currently have an accurate postcode. Applications where postcodes could not be matched to the Office of National Statistics database are excluded from this data-set. 2. Figures based on employers address and the date the application is approved, rather than the date on the application form as used and published in the Accession Monitoring Report. 3. Figures are rounded to nearest five. 4. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to total shown. 5. The table presents a gross (cumulative) figure for the number of workers applying to the WRS. The figures are not current: an individual who has registered to work and who leaves employment is not required to de-register, so some of those counted will have left the employment for which they registered and indeed some are likely to have left the UK.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Astronomy: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much full economic costing funding the Science and Technology Facility Council's Grant Review Panel recommended to support sustainable research in the 2007 round of astronomy grants; and how much funding was provided.

Ian Pearson: STFC's Astronomy Grants Review Panel recommended the award of grants that included a full economic cost (FEC) element of 4.88 million. On receipt of this request the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) allocated 4.88 million of full economic cost contribution towards the cost of new astronomy grant projects in the 2007 funding round.

Astronomy: Finance

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects of recent changes in funding for Jodrell Bank on UK capacity in astronomy and physics  (a) education and  (b) research.

Ian Pearson: Jodrell Bank Observatory is owned and run by the University of Manchester. It is involved in a variety of radio astronomy activities including the e-Merlin project. E-Merlin is the development of a network of seven UK radio telescopes run by the Jodrell Bank Observatory and funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) in partnership with the North West Development Agency and the University of Manchester. The STFC has recently undertaken a review of all its existing programmes to make sure they are delivering, or will deliver, the anticipated science output, and that they continue to represent value for money. The initial results of this review have been subject to consultation with the relevant scientific communities, and STFC is currently considering the responses it has received. STFC has yet to take a decision on its future level of support for e-Merlin. However, STFC has made it clear that the e-Merlin project is part of its strategy for radio astronomy and that it is in discussion with its partners about the issues raised by the review.

Counselling: Finance

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2431W, on counselling: finance, if he will bring forward the review of exempted subjects from December 2008 to summer 2008.

Bill Rammell: No. We want to keep a close eye on how demand to study key subjects evolves over time, but this has to be evidence-based. As we have already informed Parliament, the first such review will take place starting in December 2008, in the light of entry data for the 2008-09 academic year. Since the review will look specifically at what happens as people enter higher education this autumn, we do not intend to bring the review forward from December.

Departmental Freedom of Information

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many freedom of information requests made to his Department were  (a) answered (i) within 20 days, (ii) within 40 days, (iii) within 60 days, (iv) after 60 days,  (b) not answered and  (c) answered citing an exemption in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as a reason not to provide the requested information in each year since the Act came into force.

David Lammy: The Department have received a total of 27 requests since July 2007. Of these, 17 were responded to within 20 days and one within 40 days. The remaining nine requests are currently in progress. Of these nine cases, seven are new requests, one is at Internal Review stage and one is at Information Commissioner's stage. None of the cases in progress are currently overdue.
	With regards to exemptions, seven cases were withheld in full or withheld in part. The following exemptions were cited:
	Sec 27: 1
	Sec 35: 5
	Sec 36: 1
	Sec 40: 1
	Sec 43: 5

Higher Education: Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of making the support available to part-time first degree undergraduates equivalent to that of full-time first degree undergraduates in respect of  (a) grants,  (b) student loans and  (c) bursaries; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: There are around 200,000 part-time first degree undergraduates compared to around one million full-time. To estimate the cost to the public purse of giving part-time students the full-time package of support is complicated due to their diverse nature. We can give very broad estimates based on the assumptions we hold for full-time students and replicating the exact same package of support. This enables us to estimate grant costs in the region of 250 million and loan costs also in the region of 250 million per year. We are not able to estimate the cost to the public purse of bursaries as institutions determine the eligibility criteria and are responsible for payments.
	These estimates assume that part-time students are identical to full-time students in every respect except they are part-time. They are highly dependent on uncertain factors such as household incomes on which student support is assessed, eligibility for and take-up of support, level of fees charged and earnings following completion of the course, all of which have been assumed the same as for full-time students. The support has not been pro-rated, but if part-time students take twice as long to complete their course compared to a full-time student the costs would be around a half.
	This Government were the first to introduce statutory support for part-time students, in 2000-01. In 2006-07, we introduced the most generous package of financial support ever for part-time students in England. This included increasing the maximum fee grant by 27 per cent. and an above-inflation increase in the income threshold for receiving this support. The part-time package is different from the support available to full-time students because it has been designed to meet the particular needs of part-time students. Unlike full-time students, many part-time students are in full-time employment two thirds according to the Woodley report, published at the end of 2004. That report also found that 36 per cent. of part-time students receive full fee support from their employer.
	We must ensure that statutory student support is carefully focussed to achieve maximum benefit.

Languages: Higher Education

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which English universities require a foreign language GCSE or equivalent qualification as a condition of admission for UK-domiciled undergraduates.

Bill Rammell: That information is not collected centrally by the Department. As independent bodies, higher education institutions are free to set their own entry requirements for individual courses. A large number of institutions are now providing Entry Profiles for their courses, to enable potential applicants to clarify the entry criteria for any courses that they may be interested in. It is important that HE institutions publicise the availability of Entry Profiles and that careers advisers take them into account when advising young people on their Options choices at age 13-14.

Learning and Skills Council: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much was spent on administering the Learning and Skills Council in the latest 12 months for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) spent 226.8 million on administration in financial year 2006-07; the latest 12 months for which figures are available. This includes expenditure on direct staff pay costs; other staffing costs including training and accommodation; and asset depreciation costs.
	The LSC's Grant Letter published in October 2006 set out administration funding for 2007-08 of 219.5 million. The final audited expenditure figures for that year will be published before summer recess.
	The LSC's administration costs have fallen steadily from 4.6 per cent. of total funding in 2001-02, to 1.9 per cent. of its total budget in 2007-08. The latest LSC Grant Letter published in November 2007, shows that further administration efficiency savings will be delivered over the course of the next three years. By 2010-11 the administration budget of the LSC will have fallen to 205.7 million which represents 1.6 per cent. of the total budget of the LSC in that year.

Overseas Students: Finance

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of students from other EU member states received financial assistance from his Department for  (a) tuition fees and  (b) living costs in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: EC nationals are eligible for tuition fee support only, provided that they have been ordinarily resident in the EEA and Switzerland for the three years prior to the start of their course.
	The following table shows the number of new and continuing students in each academic year and those who received tuition fee support. Prior to 2006-07, this support was in the form of a means tested grant. Since 2006-07, new students were eligible to apply for a non-means tested loan.
	10 countries acceded to the EC in May 2004, which has resulted in an increase in student numbers.
	
		
			  EU domiciled students studying in England by support received 
			   EU domiciled students  Students receiving fee grants  Students receiving fee loans  Percentage receiving fee grants  Percentage receiving fee loans 
			 1999-2000 79,600 20,100  25  
			 2000-01 79,300 23,600  30  
			 2001-02 73,900 19,100  26  
			 2002-03 72,500 17,400  24  
			 2003-04 70,800 15,700  22  
			 2004-05 78,400 16,400  21  
			 2005-06 82,600 17,000  21  
			 2006-07 86,500 10,600 8,300 12 10 
			  Sources: 1. Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Figures are on a snapshot basis as of 1 December for comparability across the years. 2. Student Loans Company (SLC). Since 2006-07 a student may be in receipt of either a grant (continuing students) or a loan (new students). 
		
	
	Only EEA and Swiss migrant workers and certain family members who have been ordinarily resident in the EEA and Switzerland and EC nationals who have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands may be eligible to the full support package.

Physics: Finance

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what discussions he has had with the Science and Technology Facilities Council on the level of funding for research in physics and astronomy; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Secretary of State and I have had a number of discussions with the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) about research in physics and astronomy.
	The STFC published its Delivery Plan on 11 December 2007 following its Science Budget Allocation which amounted to an additional 185 million over the CSR period and a total budget of 1.9 billion over that period.
	STFC Council has made clear that the funding for physics exploitation grants will remain broadly level in this financial year (2008/09). Bill Wakeham, Vice Chancellor of Southampton University, has been asked to lead a review of the health of physics research in the UK, as part of a RCUK review of the continued health of key research disciplines. The review panel is expected to report to the RCUK Executive Group in September, and the results of the review will be published shortly afterwards.
	STFC also announced that funding for Particle Physics grants will be 43 per cent. higher in 2008/09 than it was in 2005/06, while in Nuclear Physics, a grant round now in progress will provide an increase of 78 per cent. in 2008/09 compared to 2005/06.
	STFC has also announced that support for astronomy grants will be 67 per cent. higher in 2008/09 than in 2005/06.

Students: Finance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will include current undergraduate students in plans for increased maintenance grants under the Government's new student finance package; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Government's plan for increasing the income thresholds for full and partial entitlement to maintenance grants, as part of the changes to the support package that were announced on 5 July 2007, will apply only to students who will be entering higher education in or after September 2008. We have no plans to extend this change to cover existing students. The fundamental changes to the system that we introduced in 2006, which included the deferment of fees by taking out a loan, rather than paying them up-front, offered a very attractive support package, and this continues to be available to current students.

Students: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what mechanisms his Department plans to introduce to ensure EU-domiciled students are subject to the new funding arrangements for people who are studying for equivalent or lower qualifications.

Bill Rammell: There will be amendments to the appropriate regulations to reflect that all students, including EU-domiciled students, who wish to study an equivalent or lower level course of higher education in England will be subject to the new funding arrangements
	The overwhelming majority of both EU and UK students are honest and will follow the rules in good faith. But there will be mechanisms to prevent deliberate fraud as there are under the current system and these will operate in a way that sets an appropriate balance between the need for regulation and the desire to avoid an overly bureaucratic system. In all cases, HEFCE will work with institutions to audit fundable student numbers and final HEFCE funding will be determined on the basis of audited returns and through a robust audit process. The Student Loans Company will be reviewing its processes to cover the new arrangements and ensure that mechanisms are in place to deter and detect fraudulent applications.

Students: Grants

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many undergraduates  (a) qualified for maintenance grants of (i) 2,835, (ii) 2,2002, (iii) 998, (iv) 524 and (v) 50 and  (b) received no grant in the most recent period for which figures are available;
	(2)  when he plans to answer Question 194196, tabled on 11 March 2008, on undergraduate maintenance grants; and what the reasons are for the time taken to reply.

Bill Rammell: The figures in the question apply for the upcoming academic year. Therefore as yet no one is receiving grants on this basis. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member, this was due to an administrative error.

Students: Loans

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people making repayments of a student loan are yet to receive an updated statement, including details of repayments made in the 2004-05 tax year, due to delays in HM Revenue and Customs processing employer returns for that tax year; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Student Loans Company updates individual accounts and provides borrowers with an updated statement within a month of receiving details of borrowers' repayments from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
	Repayments are linked to income, so it is not possible to know precisely how many borrowers have earned over the income threshold during a particular financial year until all employers' annual returns for student loan borrowers have been received, and the student loan repayments for every individual borrower have been processed. For the tax year 2004-05 HMRC has passed to the SLC repayment information for some 649,148 borrowers, against a projected range of 600,000 to 650,000 borrowers.

JUSTICE

Absent Voting: Overseas Residence

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many postal ballot papers were issued to UK citizens residing overseas during the last  (a) local elections in England and  (b) general election.

Bridget Prentice: Locally appointed returning officers are responsible for the conduct of elections and are responsible for storing and collecting any data arising from these elections. As such we do not collect or hold data centrally on the number of postal ballot papers which were issued to UK citizens residing overseas during the last local and general elections.

Absent Voting: Overseas Residence

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many postal ballot papers issued to UK citizens residing overseas in the last  (a) local elections in England and  (b) general election were (i) returned and (ii) rejected by acting returning officers for reasons of lateness.

Bridget Prentice: Locally appointed returning officers are responsible for the conduct of elections arid are responsible for collecting and storing any data arising from these elections. As such, we do not collect or hold data centrally on either the number of ballot papers which were returned by UK citizens living abroad at the last local and general elections or the number of postal ballots from UK citizens overseas voters which were rejected by acting returning officers for reasons of lateness.

Absent Voting: Overseas Residence

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what period of time was provided for postal ballot papers to be  (a) issued and  (b) delivered to the address of UK citizens residing overseas during the last (i) local elections in England and (ii) general elections.

Bridget Prentice: There was no prescribed last date for the issue or delivery of postal votes to UK citizens residing overseas prior to either the last local or general elections in England. Postal ballot papers may be printed and prepared for delivery once the identity of the candidates is known, following the close of the period for nominations. The earliest date that postal votes will be issued and delivered at local and general elections in England to existing postal voters is 11 working days before polling day, which is the last date in which they can cancel or vary their arrangements. Postal ballots can be dispatched to new postal vote applicants as soon as practicable after their applications have been granted.

Absent Voting: Overseas Residence

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the period of time given for UK citizens residing abroad to  (a) receive and  (b) return completed postal ballot papers during the last (i) local elections in England and (ii) general election; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: While no formal assessment has been made we are aware that some UK citizens residing abroad have experienced difficulties with the current period of time given for receiving and returning their completed postal ballot papers for elections in England.
	Returning officers are aware of the need to put the Electoral Commission's guidance on issuing postal votes into effect. The guidance (i) stipulates that postal votes should be issued to all who have applied, including long-term postal voters as soon as practicable after the deadline for new applications for postal votes which is 11 working days before the election and (ii) communicates that consideration may also be given to prioritising the issuing of ballot papers that are going outside the UK.
	We have and will continue to look at ways in which we can improve the voting process for UK citizens residing abroad. To date our work has included implementing provisions under the Representation of the People Act 2000 to allow overseas voters to vote by post. Previously, such voters were only able to appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf.

Absent Voting: Overseas Residence

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will increase the period of time given to UK citizens residing abroad to  (a) receive and  (b) return completed postal ballot papers during (i) local elections in England and (ii) general elections; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: There are practical issues including uncertainty in the declaration of the results and outcomes of elections should any change be made to the timing of the postal ballots to overseas voters. Any change would also need to take into account the need to ensure that candidates continue to have reasonable time to put forward their nominations.
	Returning officers are aware of the need to put the Electoral Commission's guidance on issuing postal votes into effect. The guidance (i) stipulates that postal votes should be issued to all who have applied, including long-term postal voters as soon as practicable after the deadline for new applications for postal votes which is 11 working days before the election and (ii) communicates that consideration may also be given to prioritising the issuing of ballot papers that are going outside the UK.

Children: Maintenance

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects the European Union to ratify the Hague Maintenance Convention.

Bridget Prentice: The 2007 Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and other Forms of Family Maintenance will be ratified by the European Union on behalf of all member states. The European Union has not yet indicated when they expect to be able to do this.
	Work is being taken forward on this ratification in tandem with the negotiation of a new EU regulation on maintenance.

Coroners: Mesothelioma

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance is issued on the procedure to be followed in coroners' inquiries following a death from mesothelioma.

Bridget Prentice: In February this year, the Coroners' Society circulated best practice suggestions on mesothelioma investigations in England and Wales to all coroners and made the suggestions available on its website. The best practice suggestions were produced by the British Lung Foundation with the support of the Coroners' Society and my Department.

Coroners: Mesothelioma

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require  (a) a specific authority to train police staff in areas where inquiries are conducted by police staff following a death from mesothelioma and  (b) registered medical practitioners to compile medical evidence prior to a death from mesothelioma which can later be used in a coroners' inquiry.

Bridget Prentice: The Government's intention are to introduce a Coroners Bill when parliamentary time allows. One of the key aims of the Bill is to deliver an improved service for all bereaved people, including those bereaved as a result of mesothelioma. The Coroners Bill will establish the post of chief coroner who will be responsible, among other things, for establishing national standards and providing guidance and training to coroners and their staff. The chief coroner will not have direct authority over police officer training or the practices of medical practitioners but he or she will work closely with local police authorities to promote best practice and will have authority to intervene if investigations are not conducted in accordance with agreed guidance. Under a reformed system, the new national medical adviser to the chief coroner will provide an additional valuable resource for bringing guidance to the attention of those professionals in the health service who interact with people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Crimes of Violence: Young People

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people aged  (a) under 16 and  (b) between 16 and 25 years were convicted of a violent crime in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The information requested covering convictions for indictable offences within the violence against the person category for the years 2002-06 is provided in the following table.
	The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for violence against the person offences by age group, England and Wales, 2002-06( 1,2) 
			   10-15  16-25  26-35  36 and over  All ages 
			 2002 2,568 18,193 9,394 7,553 37,708 
			 2003 2,495 18,041 9,490 8,010 38,036 
			 2004 2,606 18,977 9,251 8,315 39,149 
			 2005 2,810 19,928 9,273 8,918 40,929 
			 2006 2,832 20,873 9,150 9,009 41,864 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collections processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court proceedings databaseOffice for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice

Criminal Proceedings: Genetics

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  in how many criminal prosecutions low template DNA has been used as evidence; and how many of those prosecutions resulted in conviction;
	(2)  in how many criminal prosecutions mixtures of DNA have been used as evidence; and how many of those prosecutions resulted in conviction.

Maria Eagle: The data held centrally by my Department on the court proceedings database do not contain information about the circumstances behind each case, including the use of DNA, other than the information that may be gleaned from the offence itself. As a result prosecutions involving the use of DNA evidence cannot be identified.

Departmental Data Protection

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 356-7W, on departmental data protection, if he will include information assurance data on data loss incidents in previous years in his Department's next annual report.

Michael Wills: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1179, and the written ministerial statement made my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 98WS. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data.
	The interim report of 17 December 2007 committed to put in place a programme to examine and improve data handling procedures. An update on this commitment will be included in the final report, expected in spring 2008, and this report will detail the information to be included by Departments on data loss in their annual reports.

Drugs: Sentencing

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 890-2W, on drugs, how many of those sentenced to immediate custody for dealing in  (a) Class A,  (b) Class B and  (c) Class C drugs received the maximum possible prison sentence in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: The requested information is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of persons given the maximum custodial sentence( 1)  for supplying various classes of controlled drugs, all courts, England and Wales, 2002-06 
			  Number of persons 
			  Controlled drug  c lass  Number sentenced immediate custody  Maximum custodial sentence( 2) 
			  2002   
			 Class A 4,064  
			 Class B(3) 174  
			 Class C(3) 21 2 
			
			  2003   
			 Class A 4,415  
			 Class B(3) 201  
			 Class C(3) 19  
			
			  2004   
			 Class A 4,551 1 
			 Class B(3) 723  
			 Class C(3) 186  
			
			  2005   
			 Class A 4,203 1 
			 Class B(3) 331  
			 Class C(3) 579  
			
			  2006   
			 Class A 4,056  
			 Class B(3) 232  
			 Class C(3) 673  
			 (1) Principal offence basis. (2) The maximum custodial sentence for the offences of supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug and for having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply are life for Class A, 14 years for Class B and Class C. In 2003 the maximum penalty for supplying and possessing with intent to supply Class C. drugs was increased from five to 14 years imprisonment. (3) In January 2004 Cannabis was reclassified from a Class B to a Class C drug.  Notes: 1. All figures are for the offences of supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug and for having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply. 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Electoral Register

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he last met the Electoral Commission to discuss its proposals for individual voter registration.

Bridget Prentice: I meet regularly with the Electoral Commission. My next meeting is on 15 May 2008 and individual registration will be on the agenda.
	Our vision for electoral registration is clear: We want to protect the rights of every eligible person to participate in the United Kingdom's democratic process by ensuring complete, accurate and secure electoral registration.
	Any new system of electoral registration in GB would need to be tailored to current circumstances, and in particular would need to address the challenge of under registration in GB, where an estimated 3.5 million eligible electors are not registered to vote.

Internet: Data Protection

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effects of widespread up-take of internet technologies on the capacity of the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to provide for the protection of personal data.

Michael Wills: We have commissioned an independent review to consider whether there should be any changes to the legislation governing data protection. The Data Sharing Review, being conducted by the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, and Dr. Mark Walport, will publish its report before the end of June. The impact of technology was one of the issues covered by the review's consultation paper and we look forward to seeing the final report. More generally, the Government and the Information Commissioner's Office keep legislation under review in light of ever-increasing technological changes in the field of data protection.

Legal Advice and Assistance

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what changes he plans to make the civil legal aid system as a result of the resolution of the dispute between the Law Society and the Legal Services Commission.

Maria Eagle: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement I made on 2 April 2008,  Official Report, column WS104. Following constructive discussions between the parties, a settlement has been reached between the Ministry of Justice, the Law Society and the Legal Services Commission in the legal dispute over contracts. This will provide stability and certainty for civil legal aid providers, and heralds a strong commitment from all parties to a new collaborative working approach in the future to address concerns highlighted by representative bodies.
	Details of the agreement include a revised arrangement covering historic unrecouped payments on account, increases in some fees paid to civil providers, and new joint collaborative working practices adopted between the parties to ensure that future concerns can be resolved in this way rather than through litigation.

Prisons: Paganism

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to Prison Service Instruction 2005/33, on the practice of paganism in prison, how many wards are available in prisons in  (a) England,  (b) Wales and  (c) Northern Ireland.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	No prison in England and Wales contains a ward.
	There are four categories of prison health care. Type 1 provides daytime cover, generally by part time staff, with no in-patient facilities. There are 26 prisons in England, and two prisons in Wales that provide type 1 care.
	Type 2 provides daytime with full time staff, with no in-patient facilities. There are 50 prisons in England, and no prisons in Wales that provide type 2 care.
	Type 3 provides a health care centre with 24 hour nurse cover, usually with in-patient facilities. There are 56 prisons in England, and three prisons in Wales that provide type 3 care.
	Type 4 is as type 3, but also serves as a national or regional assessment centre, used by other prisons. There are five prisons in England, and no prisons in Wales that provide type 4 care.
	The management of prisons in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Administration.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to answer Question 196558, on the home detention curfew, tabled on 19th March 2008.

Jack Straw: I replied to the hon. Member for Harborough's question on 24 April 2008,  Official report, columns 2251-52W. I apologise for the delay.

Young Offender Institutions

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) operational and  (b) certified normal capacity is of each (i) young offender institution and (ii) secure training centre.

David Hanson: The operational capacity and in use certified normal capacity for each young offender and juvenile(1) institution at the end of March 2008 is shown in table A. Young offenders held in adult categorised prisons are not included.
	
		
			  Table A 
			  Prison  Operational capacity  In use certified normal accommodation 
			 Aylesbury 444 437 
			 Brinsford 497 473 
			 Castington 410 400 
			 Deerbolt 453 453 
			 Feltham 762 762 
			 Glen Parva 808 668 
			 Hindley 523 523 
			 Lancaster Farms 517 480 
			 Northallerton 252 153 
			 Portland 577 539 
			 Reading 281 184 
			 Rochester 392 392 
			 Stoke Heath 678 562 
			 Swinfen Hall 620 600 
			 Thorn Cross 322 322 
			 Ashfield(1) 400 400 
			 Huntercombe(1) 365 360 
			 Warren Hill(1) 222 222 
			 Wennington(1) 162 160 
			 Wetherby(1) 384 360 
		
	
	The Youth Justice Board does not express levels of accommodation in the requested format. The number of beds required to be made available by secure training centres is shown in table B.
	
		
			  Table B 
			  Secure training centre  Number of beds 
			 Hassockfield 58 
			 Medway 76 
			 Oakhill 80 
			 Rainsbrook 87

Young Offender Institutions

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the staff to inmate ratio of each  (a) young offender institution and  (b) secure training centre was at the latest date for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The following table shows the overall staff to prisoner ratio and unified staff to prisoner ratio for each young offender and juvenile(1) institution at the end of March 2008. Young offenders held in adult categorised prisons are not included. Unified staff relates to those staff that are officer or governor grades.
	
		
			  Prison  Prisoner population  Total staff in post  Total staff to prisoner ratio  Total unified staff  Unified staff to prisoner ratio 
			 Aylesbury 442 327 1 : 1.35 193 1 : 2.29 
			 Brinsford 442 431 1 : 1.03 257 1 : 1.72 
			 Castington 375 383 1 : 0.98 235 1 : 1.60 
			 Deerbolt 444 362 1 : 1.23 192 1 : 2.31 
			 Feltham 587 779 1 : 0.75 421 1 : 1.39 
			 Glen Parva 804 510 1 : 1.58 276 1 : 2.91 
			 Hindley 497 429 1 : 1.16 244 1 : 2.04 
			 Lancaster Farms 494 424 1 : 1.17 263 1 : 1.88 
			 Northallerton 232 139 1 : 1.67 70 1 : 3.31 
			 Portland 555 418 1 : 1.33 223 1 : 2.49 
			 Reading 245 225 1 : 1.09 122 1 : 2.01 
			 Rochester 389 328 1 : 1.19 197 1 : 1.97 
			 Stoke Heath 644 473 1 : 1.36 264 1 : 2.44 
			 Swinfen Hall 619 415 1 : 1.49 217 1 : 2.85 
			 Thorn Cross 230 218 1 : 1.06 122 1 : 1.89 
			 Huntercombe(1) 347 288 1 : 1.20 162 1 : 2.14 
			 Warren Hill(1) 213 248 1 : 0.86 148 1 : 1.44 
			 Werrington(1) 138 174 1 : 0.79 90 1 : 1.53 
			 Wetherby(1) 321 336 1 : 0.96 185 1 : 1.74 
		
	
	Youth Justice Board do not set precise staff to prisoner ratios for secure training centres (STCs); instead, they agree with providers the minimum starting levels necessary to ensure effective supervision. Broadly speaking, the minimum staffing levels are three members of custody staff to young people living in a group of eight and two members of custody staff to young people living in a group of six.
	The figures for prison establishments and STCs are not directly comparable. The figures for prisons relate to all staff employed in the establishment, while the ratio for STCs relates only to staff engaging directly with offenders.

Young Offender Institutions: Education

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of those in each  (a) young offender institution and  (b) secure training centre were in education at the latest date for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The Prison Service does not centrally collate education data at prisoner level. The following table shows the provisional average number of hours spent in educational activity per week per prisoner in young offender and juvenile institutions in 2007-08. Young offenders held in prisons categorised as adult are not included.
	
		
			  Prison  Average number of hours spent in educational activity 
			 Aylesbury 10.2 
			 Brinsford 11.0 
			 Castington 11.8 
			 Deerbolt 11.1 
			 Feltham 10.9 
			 Glen Parva 8.7 
			 Hindley 17.3 
			 Lancaster Farms 12.2 
			 Northallerton 14.7 
			 Portland 7.6 
			 Reading 8.5 
			 Rochester 6.0 
			 Stoke Heath 10.3 
			 Swinfen Hall 10.8 
			 Ashfield 20.6 
			 Huntercombe 16.9 
			 Warren Hill 19.6 
			 Werrington 26.0 
			 Wetherby 15.6 
		
	
	Each of the four secure training centres (STCs) in accordance with STC Rules 1998 ensure that each trainee participates in education or training courses for at least 25 hours a week, except when on authorised absence such us attending court appearances or sickness.

Young Offender Institutions: Telephones

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of inmates in each  (a) young offender institution and  (b) secure training centre has daily access to a telephone to communicate with family.

Maria Eagle: This information is not available for prisoners in young offender institutions (YOIs). However, all prisoners must be given access to telephones during association and other such times that can be facilitated by each prison's regime. The time available for prisoners to use telephones must not be less than two hours each day.
	All trainees in Secure Training Centres have daily access to telephones.

Young Offender Institutions: Violence

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents of  (a) inmate on inmate and  (b) inmate on staff violence were reported in each (i) young offender institution and (ii) secure training centre in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is as follows:
	 (i) Assaults in Young Offender Institutions
	The information requested is set out in the following table, but is subject to important qualifications. The Prison Service incident reporting system processes high volumes of data which are constantly being updated. The statistics provide a good indication of overall numbers, but should not be interpreted as absolute. Assault data are complex and may include threatening behaviour, projection of bodily fluids and other non-contact incidents. Information on assault incidents may involve more than one assailant or more than one victim. In a proportion of incidents only the victim is known.
	Assault information is recorded at establishment level in four categories: Prisoner on Prisoner, Prisoner on Officer, Other (including miscellaneous assault information) and Prisoner on Other. Rises or falls in reported numbers from one year to the next are not a good indicator of underlying trend for a particular prison. There have also been improvements in reporting over the years, and this is reflected in the table.
	
		
			  (a) Prisoner on  p risoner 
			  Prison Name  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Ashfield 271 304 500 625 653 
			 Aylesbury 26 21 78 80 79 
			 Brinsford 304 326 344 187 187 
			 Castington 312 384 361 360 385 
			 Deerbolt 167 205 164 152 160 
			 Feltham 569 576 549 476 427 
			 Glen Parva 241 230 269 341 364 
			 Hindley 177 63 112 348 498 
			 Huntercombe 77 79 95 184 280 
			 Lancaster Farms (1)17 185 435 363 357 
			 Northallerton 82 84 104 82 100 
			 Onley 509 (2)r (2) (2) (2) 
			 Portland 61 125 154 127 192 
			 Reading 23 25 76 57 45 
			 Rochester 51 102 78 100 75 
			 Stoke Heath 137 239 438 506 527 
			 Swinfen Hall 110(2) (2) (2) (2)  
			 Thorn Cross 39 7 19 143 84 
			 Warren Hill 93 162 256 268 321 
			 Werrington 129 104 139 143 141 
			 Wetherby 175 414 492 403 353 
			 (1) Incomplete data.  (2) In 2004 YOI Onley and YOi Swinfen Hall were re-rolled as HMP/YOI Onley and HMP/YOI Swinfen Hall . From this date they are no longer technically YOI's as they also hold adults. 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Prisoner on staff( 1) 
			  Prison Name  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Ashfield 70 90 180 136 100 
			 Aylesbury 15 6 17 18 14 
			 Brinsford 39 34 19 10 17 
			 Castington 56 57 50 46 46 
			 Deerbolt 6 28 33 22 34 
			 Feltham 103 173 138 118 107 
			 Glen Parva 29 39 31 45 56 
			 Hindley 27 14 32 58 48 
			 Huntercombe 9 15 15 .33 24 
			 Lancaster Farms 9 28 47 56 39 
			 Northallerton 9 22 14 9 8 
			 Onley 98 (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			 Portland 16 39 40 42 39 
			 Reading 7 16 16 12 9 
			 Rochester 16 18 23 13 4 
			 Stoke Heath 20 39 56 69 76 
			 Swifffen Hall 9 (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			 Thorn Cross 4 1  4 1 
			 Warren Hill 12 21 34 42 50 
			 Werrington 24 19 19 22 12 
			 Wetherby 4 77 72 60 37 
			 (1) Prisoner on Officer and Prisoner on Other categories are used in this table and there may be some over inclusion, for example assaults on visitors may be recorded in the Prisoner on Other category.  (2) In 2004 YOI Onley and YOI Swifen hall wre re-rolled as HMP/YOI Onley and HMP YOI Swiffen hall. From this date they are no longer technicall YOIs as they also hold adults. 
		
	
	 (ii) Assaults in Secure Training Centres
	While the Youth Justice Board collects data from all secure establishments, the information requested is only available from the period April 2007. The total number of incidents involving  (a) trainee on trainee, and  (b) trainee on staff for the period of April 2007 to March 2008 is as follows.
	
		
			  Secure Training Centre  Young person on young person  Young person on staff 
			 Hassockfield STC 98 62 
			 Medway STC 168 252 
			 Oakhill STC 258 557 
			 Rainsbrook STC 108 197

Young Offenders: Custodial Sentencing

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) 15,  (b) 16 and  (c) 17-year-olds were given custodial sentences in each police force area since 1997; and what the average length of sentences was.

Maria Eagle: The requested information is contained in the following tables.
	Statistics for 2007 will be published in the autumn.
	
		
			  Persons aged 15 to 17 sentenced( 1)  to immediate custody by police force area and age, England and Wales, 1997 to 2006 
			  Number of persons 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001 
			  Force  15  16  17  15  16  17  15  16  17  15  16  17  15  16  17 
			 Avon and Somerset 11 30 55 9 26 48 2 21 45 11 23 50 15 28 42 
			 Bedfordshire 23 30 55 21 63 47 23 41 52 18 20 40 14 17 44 
			 Cambridgeshire 13 21 45 8 25 44 15 28 48 13 20 40 15 30 28 
			 Cheshire 13 41 58 18 29 60 21 27 63 19 30 56 16 36 58 
			 City of London   2 
			 Cleveland 24 50 73 19 30 77 17 30 66 22 33 62 15 22 41 
			 Cumbria 15 23 28 10 17 45 16 16 38 16 20 35 18 33 38 
			 Derbyshire 19 34 46 23 35 56 26 44 79 21 34 46 19 38 46 
			 Devon and Cornwall 19 37 49 7 31 66 13 17 59 3 15 27 7 11 19 
			 Dorset 4 12 28 5 13 32 15 16 30 10 13 20 5 7 19 
			 Durham 18 36 41 20 31 67 30 54 67 13 32 52 13 28 42 
			 Essex 30 65 91 19 62 112 26 37 83 30 49 59 31 63 104 
			 Gloucestershire 2 4 43 7 4 26 3 10 24 6 16 36 6 12 12 
			 Greater Manchester 90 182 316 94 182 290 117 185 280 127 170 275 128 220 287 
			 Hampshire 23 33 85 22 66 73 41 93 120 59 72 111 34 53 90 
			 Hertfordshire 9 14 37 6 13 26 5 18 34 3 23 48 13 18 34 
			 Humberside 20 52 77 33 46 87 20 57 91 21 31 50 39 40 60 
			 Kent 27 67 74 31 78 105 24 45 77 32 42 64 42 55 88 
			 Lancashire 30 76 120 31 65 113 27 78 104 31 59 100 37 56 87 
			 Leicestershire 56 72 100 26 63 110 28 69 95 30 50 86 47 46 77 
			 Lincolnshire  10 46 6 9 29 10 4 30 3 9 29 3 19 33 
			 Merseyside 34 64 112 24 67 115 30 74 83 44 81 113 49 83 124 
			 Metropolitan Police 174 311 544 166 316 494 151 329 513 173 328 502 177 344 464 
			 Norfolk 4 5 20 7 9 23 7 20 29 7 19 20 13 13 22 
			 North Yorkshire 12 28 36 10 23 38 15 22 56 13 26 53 17 19 44 
			 Northamptonshire 2 11 38 8 25 39 8 29 48 12 8 33 3 24 16 
			 Northumbria 51 121 141 47 105 171 41 102 190 35 63 128 33 81 117 
			 Nottinghamshire 42 72 125 37 76 113 43 64 120 42 55 115 49 50 87 
			 South Yorkshire 53 67 133 41 59 124 20 56 110 43 67 100 36 58 85 
			 Staffordshire 16 26 69 17 32 59 17 45 71 4 44 51 42 34 66 
			 Suffolk 3 16 23 8 11 28 7 23 45 6 13 32 4 12 19 
			 Surrey 7 17 16 6 16 19  10 17 1 13 16 10 13 25 
			 Sussex 9 43 63 10 56 70 14 28 63 11 27 61 22 35 66 
			 Thames Valley 8 43 80 14 47 73 12 38 83 34 61 98 25 61 87 
			 Warwickshire 9 12 23 3 9 19 11 15 24 11 8 39 9 13 23 
			 West Mercia 12 28 50 8 37 50 12 33 70 23 32 56 23 42 63 
			 West Midlands 97 200 332 94 208 335 103 220 358 112 217 332 151 231 345 
			 West Yorkshire 61 98 190 58 105 183 79 131 236 69 113 169 53 139 181 
			 Wiltshire 1 14 20 9 12 18 5 19 25 5 15 30 5 5 15 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3 9 19 5 3 16 3 3 24 1 11 17 8 11 7 
			 Gwent 3 17 39 19 29 53 18 32 46 8 18 32 5 13 21 
			 North Wales 6 11 31 7 13 31 14 19 36 7 28 30 23 18 29 
			 South Wales 40 68 117 59 96 128 55 106 153 55 92 147 71 89 96 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  Force  15  16  17  15  16  17  15  16  17  15  16  17  15  16  17 
			 Avon and Somerset 26 30 58 12 39 47 11 32 58 12 24 39 10 25 40 
			 Bedfordshire 19 24 24 8 25 30 15 24 43 15 32 41 13 21 24 
			 Cambridgeshire 7 23 34 15 30 48 7 23 39 14 13 23 11 24 21 
			 Cheshire 15 27 51 14 50 42 15 19 48 22 42 78 27 41 52 
			 City of London  1 1 
			 Cleveland 12 33 47 10 26 41 15 17 33 8 28 29 15 31 26 
			 Cumbria 15 25 23 12 14 23 10 18 38 6 18 19 9 17 36 
			 Derbyshire 14 40 76 21 23 51 21 24 39 19 34 46 13 43 37 
			 Devon and Cornwall 6 9 11 4 8 9 1 6 13 6 12 13  4 8 
			 Dorset 14 13 29 10 11 16 10 12 12 6 11 21 9 8 23 
			 Durham 12 23 30 13 23 31 6 15 25 10 19 31 17 11 16 
			 Essex 37 57 95 40 46 78 25 66 84 28 48 63 39 52 65 
			 Gloucestershire 13 13 8 3 17 17 11 11 29 12 16 20 7 24 19 
			 Greater Manchester 113 190 238 90 148 218 106 155 236 74 158 230 112 151 233 
			 Hampshire 47 55 86 22 41 67 33 59 79 30 47 81 31 67 83 
			 Hertfordshire 13 23 44 12 24 34 7 17 43 14 39 32 11 19 39 
			 Humberside 15 35 59 19 36 68 47 55 46 34 46 69 24 46 76 
			 Kent 29 33 77 23 39 62 16 29 48 15 42 65 19 34 56 
			 Lancashire 41 75 97 35 46 70 35 46 69 25 47 91 37 52 67 
			 Leicestershire 25 45 94 22 34 72 17 38 60 15 28 42 13 31 35 
			 Lincolnshire 12 15 17 3 18 31 6 6 17 9 4 15 2 5 9 
			 Merseyside 32 74 94 43 59 123 34 63 103 44 66 100 49 65 97 
			 Metropolitan Police 184 371 532 163 237 374 163 275 432 146 270 387 172 320 470 
			 Norfolk 5 17 15 9 6 23 2 10 21 8 6 20 10 5 16 
			 North Yorkshire 6 16 25 8 10 30 7 10 24 6 21 21 5 9 31 
			 Northamptonshire 10 18 34 4 11 21 7 16 33 8 6 12 10 18 28 
			 Northumbria 40 68 86 27 51 75 28 35 62 21 51 58 24 39 61 
			 Nottinghamshire 47 72 98 42 59 100 28 68 75 42 60 97 39 52 77 
			 South Yorkshire 33 55 99 28 47 100 26 52 85 20 52 105 16 47 85 
			 Staffordshire 23 38 69 19 33 52 17 30 59 20 29 45 15 29 53 
			 Suffolk 7 9 20 5 14 26 15 24 26 18 16 31 13 20 36 
			 Surrey 4 9 20 4 25 11 3 11 22 8 15 13 5 14 20 
			 Sussex 22 35 48 21 43 29 15 30 36 17 22 56 13 35 38 
			 Thames Valley 26 53 117 22 33 66 13 29 64 9 27 61 23 39 64 
			 Warwickshire 9 16 29 1 1 15 2 7 13 8 10 18 6 12 14 
			 West Mercia 18 37 53 11 29 44 22 26 58 14 35 47 17 24 48 
			 West Midlands 145 255 318 112 167 265 131 191 275 93 164 234 87 167 212 
			 West Yorkshire 82 129 160 60 113 169 79 115 168 70 143 135 75 94 172 
			 Wiltshire 11 15 17 5 16 12 7 9 23 3 14 9 2 11 23 
			 Dyfed-Powys 5 12 7  6 8 2 3 9 1 3 12 3 6 17 
			 Gwent 6 12 17 10 23 25 17 23 53 20 25 27 14 28 49 
			 North Wales 13 27 27 17 25 32 8 22 42 16 20 38 22 25 41 
			 South Wales 45 91 127 47 64 106 33 78 111 29 62 94 39 62 88 
			 (1 )Principal offence basis.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Average determinate custodial sentence length( 1)  for persons aged 15 to 17 sentenced to immediate custody by police force area and age, England and Wales, 1997 to 2006 
			  Average custodial sentence length (months) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001 
			   15  16  17  15  16  17  15  16  17  15  16  17  15  16  17 
			 Avon and Somerset 16.2 9.3 8.0 9.3 8.9 8.9 4.0 10.9 8.7 5.9 9.9 7.2 8.5 13.0 8.0 
			 Bedfordshire 6.7 6.9 5.0 11.5 6.1 7.9 7.2 8.7 7.2 4.6 16.8 9.8 10.1 7.2 13.1 
			 Cambridgeshire 8.5 13.5 11.7 10.1 7.9 9.8 5.1 5.5 7.9 11.5 11.6 11.5 9.9 11.8 8.7 
			 Cheshire 11.1 6.6 9.2 7.7 11.8 11.1 5.3 9.0 8.0 6.9 10.7 9.7 7.6 7.8 7.6 
			 City of London   18.0 
			 Cleveland 7.1 11.2 10.3 8.4 6.7 10.3 3.9 9.0 8.4 10.8 10.5 9.0 8.3 8.7 7.6 
			 Cumbria 3.5 4.7 8.4 10.9 6.4 5.0 13.4 5.5 6.2 4.9 7.7 7.7 6.1 7.3 7.2 
			 Derbyshire 8.7 8.3 11.1 12.3 10.1 7.7 11.5 10.8 10.1 8.2 8.6 8.0 8.7 7.2 10.2 
			 Devon and Cornwall 10.1 7.4 11.4 14.3 5.9 7.8 7.4 9.5 6.9 6.3 7.3 6.8 17.4 14.5 22.8 
			 Dorset 3.2 5.1 9.6 6.8 7.2 12.8 3.2 4.7 5.5 6.8 4.5 6.9 12.0 5.1 6.8 
			 Durham 5.9 9.3 8.6 6.2 7.4 8.7 3.1 3.7 5.9 6.2 9.3 9.1 6.5 7.1 9.7 
			 Essex 9.5 5.3 7.4 6.9 4.3 6.7 5.6 4.8 6.5 5.5 6.7 8.2 7.6 8.3 8.6 
			 Gloucestershire 2.0 3.5 8.7 8.6 7.8 5.4 2.3 5.5 6.4 17.0 5.0 9.1 7.0 8.3 7.7 
			 Greater Manchester 9.6 7.9 10.7 8.9 10.2 9.1 7.4 9.3 9.1 8.3 9.1 11.2 9.0 10.1 11.1 
			 Hampshire 12.6 12.9 10.1 7.7 4.1 7.5 8.7 6.3 7.3 7.5 7.7 7.5 8.2 7.7 7.4 
			 Hertfordshire 12.0 10.4 6.8 21.2 7.6 4.5 3.2 7.6 10.4 4.0 8.2 13.8 9.7 11.6 9.5 
			 Humberside 6.4 9.6 7.5 6.9 8.8 9.3 6.0 8.0 9.8 11.1 10.7 11.4 9.1 9.0 8.0 
			 Kent 9.1 8.0 8.6 9.1 6.4 6.1 4.6 6.1 7.4 12.0 7.5 9.3 6.1 9.7 7.3 
			 Lancashire 14.6 7.9 7.7 8.0 8.1 6.9 11.6 8.3 11.2 7.5 7.3 8.7 8.9 8.1 9.3 
			 Leicestershire 6.9 8.7 9.0 8.1 7.6 7.3 5.0 8.8 13.4 9.1 8.4 10.7 5.7 7.1 10.9 
			 Lincolnshire  6.4 8.3 4.3 3.7 7.5 17.6 6.8 6.6 17.3 6.7 8.1 19.3 7.0 7.8 
			 Merseyside 7.1 8.4 8.6 4.2 7.1 8.4 4.2 6.8 6.2 6.6 9.2 8.2 8.1 7.4 8.4 
			 Metropolitan Police 16.5 15.5 13.1 9.1 11.3 12.0 9.9 9.9 11.9 9.4 11.5 12.3 8.6 11.6 11.0 
			 Norfolk 3.8 10.0 9.2 5.8 3.0 8.6 2.9 4.9 5.7 4.6 7.5 9.5 5.1 5.5 6.5 
			 North Yorkshire 7.0 4.5 6.2 4.2 5.0 8.8 8.3 6.0 6.2 7.4 6.3 8.0 12.6 10.8 11.7 
			 Northamptonshire 5.0 5.5 8.4 7.9 10.6 8.3 7.2 8.1 8.9 5.8 13.0 11.5 4.7 20.3 16.6 
			 Northumbria 6.1 10.0 9.7 4.5 7.1 7.3 4.4 7.1 7.6 9.3 8.3 9.8 9.9 10.2 10.5 
			 Nottinghamshire 11.5 12.1 12.2 11.1 15.8 12.0 9.2 11.7 10.8 8.2 11.5 11.5 10.0 7.8 12.2 
			 South Yorkshire 10.9 10.4 10.8 8.4 9.9 11.2 10.7 7.9 7.6 10.9 10.2 10.1 11.7 12.7 12.0 
			 Staffordshire 7.5 7.5 7.8 4.5 9.8 7.5 7.9 6.7 7.3 19.0 9.8 10.9 7.0 7.0 9.8 
			 Suffolk 20.0 6.5 8.8 8.5 4.2 12.0 5.5 6.5 7.7 8.0 10.6 9.9 5.5 12.0 9.9 
			 Surrey 18.4 19.0 20.0 4.5 8.2 5.8  3.4 13.0 4.0 6.1 7.9 5.2 10.5 5.8 
			 Sussex 4.7 6.2 7.8 2.8 6.1 7.2 11.6 11.0 8.7 5.9 11.3 11.2 7.6 7.7 8.6 
			 Thames Valley 4.8 9.1 9.0 3.4 6.8 9.3 9.6 8.9 10.4 5.5 8.6 9.5 8.8 9.9 9.5 
			 Warwickshire 4.4 6.5 8.2 2.3 10.9 12.3 7.6 7.9 10.5 7.6 5.5 13.3 14.2 10.8 17.1 
			 West Mercia 8.6 11.6 14.3 6.4 10.0 11.1 7.2 8.4 9.2 7.5 10.8 12.9 7.0 7.9 10.3 
			 West Midlands 10.1 8.6 9.8 9.8 9.9 10.2 8.0 8.8 8.3 8.1 8.2 10.7 8.5 9.3 9.8 
			 West Yorkshire 9.4 10.0 9.2 8.7 8.7 10.7 8.9 8.2 10.3 8.5 12.1 11.0 8.4 10.4 11.9 
			 Wiltshire 2.0 15.8 8.8 8.8 9.3 9.4 2.6 8.6 6.7 12.4 8.3 10.8 12.4 6.8 8.4 
			 Dyfed-Powys 6.7 18.0 7.1 23.0 3.3 5.4 13.0 2.7 4.6 4.0 6.1 10.5 5.0 12.7 5.4 
			 Gwent 5.0 13.3 5.3 8.1 5.1 8.2 5.2 3.5 5.5 9.8 17.4 6.2 15.2 12.2 13.9 
			 North Wales 16.5 5.5 7.5 7.7 9.8 8.4 7.4 13.7 5.7 6.6 8.4 11.3 6.9 9.4 8.4 
			 South Wales 6.4 8.7 9.9 6.8 8.3 7.7 6.8 7.1 7.8 7.2 9.0 10.3 7.7 8.2 8.2 
		
	
	
		
			  Average custodial sentence length (months) 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			   15  16  17  15  16  17  15  16  17  15  16  17  15  16  17 
			 Avon and Somerset 7.5 12.2 13.6 9.5 7.4 9.3 9.5 11.4 12.2 8.7 7.8 10.2 8.2 10.2 8.4 
			 Bedfordshire 12.9 10.8 18.1 9.8 14.4 12.6 9.2 9.9 11.6 10.1 8.9 12.7 11.5 11.0 12.6 
			 Cambridgeshire 9.4 11.5 13.8 8.7 13.9 9.7 7.4 12.7 15.3 7.9 14.5 10.7 13.1 6.2 12.1 
			 Cheshire 13.9 9.9 12.2 7.9 11.4 8.8 7.5 18.2 11.5 10.3 13.2 10.3 9.9 8.5 10.4 
			 City of London  18.0 10.0 
			 Cleveland 14.3 13.7 13.5 7.2 14.5 15.4 14.0 9.2 10.4 14.5 13.5 9.7 7.6 10.5 10.5 
			 Cumbria 5.7 9.9 9.7 9.1 6.4 9.3 5.8 7.7 10.1 9.0 10.0 13.2 4.5 7.8 9.2 
			 Derbyshire 9.7 11.4 11.8 10.6 11.7 12.2 7.3 8.3 16.3 9.6 8.9 8.6 11.1 8.5 9.2 
			 Devon and Cornwall 14.3 19.0 12.2 5.0 14.4 22.2 24.0 20.7 24.5 14.7 19.5 19.8  13.0 22.5 
			 Dorset 5.4 6.8 15.9 5.0 4.9 8.4 15.0 5.5 5.8 9.0 20.7 10.1 11.1 10.0 12.9 
			 Durham 9.3 12.3 10.1 10.0 9.4 10.1 10.3 13.5 8.9 6.2 9.4 9.6 6.4 8.7 5.6 
			 Essex 10.7 9.4 6.9 6.4 7.0 8.6 8.1 8.2 8.4 5.4 9.0 10.3 6.2 6.7 8.9 
			 Gloucestershire 12.0 7.4 12.0 12.7 12.1 7.6 8.2 10.2 8.8 7.2 6.8 14.9 12.0 13.2 12.4 
			 Greater Manchester 11.9 13.2 11.8 9.8 10.6 12.5 8.3 10.0 11.2 8.5 10.4 9.8 8.3 9.3 11.5 
			 Hampshire 9.1 10.1 11.2 7.7 11.1 11.9 6.8 7.7 10.3 6.3 9.1 10.4 7.0 10.7 8.6 
			 Hertfordshire 16.2 19.1 12.0 7.0 8.8 20.0 10.9 8.6 14.1 5.0 9.4 10.6 7.6 11.3 8.0 
			 Humberside 6.5 11.3 13.4 7.6 9.4 10.0 9.8 9.7 11.5 7.2 7.7 10.5 6.8 10.4 11.8 
			 Kent 9.1 10.2 9.2 8.3 9.1 10.3 9.6 9.8 9.4 9.7 10.7 10.0 8.0 10.9 12.6 
			 Lancashire 11.2 10.4 10.5 7.3 9.4 10.1 10.9 10.3 10.4 8.2 8.6 13.9 7.8 8.8 12.9 
			 Leicestershire 8.5 8.4 14.2 7.4 7.7 9.5 10.1 10.2 13.1 13.1 10.4 10.9 6.2 7.6 8.5 
			 Lincolnshire 20.0 14.7 16.2 4.0 11.3 11.1 6.0 9.0 12.2 12.2 4.5 13.9 5.0 6.8 12.4 
			 Merseyside 6.6 10.0 13.2 8.0 8.9 9.3 9.5 8.0 11.7 7.8 10.0 11.1 10.2 10.2 11.2 
			 Metropolitan Police 12.3 10.6 14.4 12.0 12.9 14.1 11.3 13.3 15.9 10.8 11.9 14.2 10.4 13.2 15.9 
			 Norfolk 6.4 10.0 8.7 7.8 9.7 12.2 5.0 6.6 10.1 7.2 27.0 8.5 6.2 15.2 8.2 
			 North Yorkshire 9.7 15.2 11.0 12.2 10.8 8.3 9.7 7.4 8.8 13.6 11.9 10.6 12.0 10.4 12.0 
			 Northamptonshire 10.6 13.3 9.4 6.0 7.1 8.8 19.4 10.6 10.5 10.8 8.7 17.2 9.8 13.9 15.9 
			 Northumbria 11.4 8.6 11.2 7.6 8.4 10.8 14.8 7.8 9.4 9.4 11.9 11.3 7.4 7.5 8.7 
			 Nottinghamshire 9.1 13.1 13.4 14.7 11.9 14.9 11.1 12.9 13.9 7.6 8.8 11.9 11.2 10.4 14.0 
			 South Yorkshire 9.2 10.9 17.3 11.2 13.4 11.4 15.1 12.5 15.0 13.2 12.3 12.3 11.8 14.0 11.4 
			 Staffordshire 7.7 9.6 9.0 8.4 9.3 8.5 7.2 11.7 8.8 9.3 9.2 9.6 11.6 9.3 7.7 
			 Suffolk 9.1 20.3 13.4 6.8 7.3 12.5 8.0 8.1 10.5 5.6 5.8 7.7 6.6 6.5 9.7 
			 Surrey 4.5 16.7 8.9 10.5 10.2 9.1 10.0 9.6 14.1 8.8 6.4 17.5 14.8 11.5 11.3 
			 Sussex 7.6 7.7 14.9 10.8 8.9 11.2 7.9 11.9 11.7 6.5 12.1 11.2 7.5 11.7 12.2 
			 Thames Valley 11.3 9.5 12.2 9.8 7.0 11.6 14.9 12.4 12.3 7.2 9.0 9.1 9.4 9.6 10.4 
			 Warwickshire 15.6 9.5 13.8 4.0 12.0 12.3 24.0 14.0 9.8 6.2 25.8 11.1 38.8 19.0 14.9 
			 West Mercia 8.9 10.3 8.7 9.8 7.6 8.6 7.9 9.8 9.6 9.0 7.9 7.2 6.2 8.2 10.8 
			 West Midlands 9.6 9.7 10.8 8.6 9.9 10.7 8.9 8.6 10.9 8.4 10.1 10.2 8.4 11.2 11.2 
			 West Yorkshire 9.7 11.1 13.4 9.9 9.7 11.5 9.2 11.9 12.5 7.5 11.9 12.2 8.4 10.3 11.5 
			 Wiltshire 6.9 13.7 8.9 11.2 10.1 8.5 5.4 11.1 10.7 13.3 10.3 13.5 11.0 10.4 10.0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 6.8 10.3 12.0  6.0 7.2 8.0 6.0 5.3 4.0 6.0 7.7 5.3 5.7 8.9 
			 Gwent 6.3 13.5 11.8 15.8 11.8 10.4 8.4 9.7 11.7 7.3 8.7 9.6 6.4 7.8 8.8 
			 North Wales 7.4 6.0 6.1 12.6 7.4 8.6 7.8 13.7 9.6 6.9 6.1 9.5 7.1 7.6 9.0 
			 South Wales 10.1 10.5 11.2 8.0 10.3 7.6 7.2 10.1 10.1 7.0 8.5 8.7 7.2 8.5 8.9 
			 (1) Excludes life and indeterminate sentences.  Notes: 1. Small numbers of persons may result in unrepresentative average custodial sentence lengths. Where numbers are low, average custodial sentence lengths are susceptible to bias from individual cases and may not be representative of local sentencing practice. 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what refurbishments and renovations of 10 Downing Street, including the Prime Minister's flat above Downing Street, have taken place since the Prime Minister took office.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) by the then Parliamentary Secretary Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron), on 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 913W.

Cinemas: Conservation

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps have been taken to prevent further deterioration of Churchill's Cinema, part of the 26 Whitehall estate, as stated in English Heritage's Biennial Conservation Report on the Government Historic Estate 2005-07.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office has undertaken some protection work to the roof of the cinema building. In addition, further maintenance work is currently being considered following receipt of the latest quadrennial inspection report prepared by heritage consultants.

Departmental Buildings

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which works, renovations and refurbishments originally considered by Project George are to be taken forward.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1307W.

Departmental Intranet

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 687W, on the departmental intranet, whether his Department's IT system is able to provide a record of Wikipedia entries  (a) created and  (b) amended from within his Department.

Tom Watson: The Department does not hold this information.

Departmental Records

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 13 December 2007,  Official Report, column 826W, on departmental records, which division of the Cabinet Office holds the records of the invoices and purchase orders formerly held by the Deputy Prime Minister's Office.

Tom Watson: The Deputy Prime Minister's Office residual responsibilities were transferred to the Cabinet Office, although the records of invoices and purchase orders pertaining to the Deputy Prime Minister's Office are held by the Department for Communities and Local Government and not by the Cabinet Office.

Government Departments: Charities

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the rules govern the provision of office accommodation by Government Departments to charitable organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark) by the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, my right hon. Friend the Member for North-West Durham (Hilary Armstrong), on 22 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1099W.

Official Residences: Repairs and Maintenance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1307W, on Official Residences: Repairs and Maintenance, what the infrastructure is that the Government intends to  (a) renew,  (b) upgrade and  (c) refurbish in Downing street.

Tom Watson: I have nothing further to add to the earlier answer.

Planning Permission: Costs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what initial estimate was made of the costs associated with planning application 08/00696 prior to the grant of authorisation for the project; and what completion date was set prior to the project's commencement.

Tom Watson: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave on 20 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1307W.

Public Sector: Priory Healthcare

Michael Ancram: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many public-sector staff, including military personnel, have been treated at cost to the public purse at branches of the Priory chain of rehabilitation and treatment centres in the last 10 years.

Tom Watson: Information on the cost to the public purse of public sector staff who have been treated at the Priory chain of rehabilitation and treatment centres is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.

Trade Unions

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions he has had with trades union representatives on diversity among public service deliverers; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office has met civil service union representatives regularly to discuss actions being taken to achieve a truly diverse civil service workforce, and have a diverse group of people delivering public services. These meetings are ongoing.
	The procurement of private-sector suppliers to deliver public-services is governed by procurement policy. The Office of Government Commerce in HM Treasury leads on procurement policy.

TREASURY

Carbon Emissions

Alan Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change in UK carbon dioxide emissions between 2006 and 2007; what proportion of this was attributable to the Government's carbon tax and spend policies; and what the equivalent figures are, excluding emissions reductions achieved by purchases from overseas under carbon trading arrangements.

Angela Eagle: In 2007, UK emissions of the basket of six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto protocol were provisionally estimated to be 639.4 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent. This was 2 per cent. lower than the 2006 figure of 652.3 million tonnes. In 2007, UK net emissions of carbon dioxide were provisionally estimated to be 543.7 million tonnes. This was 2 per cent. lower than the 2006 figure of 554.5 million tonnes.
	The decrease resulted from fuel switching from coal to natural gas for electricity generation, combined with lower fossil fuel consumption by households and industry. Details of the Government's policies and their expected impact on emissions is set out in the Energy White Paper published in May 2007. Details of the impact of fiscal measuresintroduced by the Government are outlined in PBR and Budget documents, and were summarised in table 6.2 of Budget 2008.
	The Government see emissions trading as one of the most powerful tools available to tackle climate change in a cost-effective manner. These figures do not include the effect of emissions trading, as 2007 EU Emissions Trading Scheme results will not be available until May 2008. However, figures for 2006 show that, including the impact of emissions trading through the EU ETS, UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2006 were 20.7 per cent. below the 1990 level.

Coinage: Design

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of organising the public competition to design the new set of British coins; and what the overall cost of the introduction of the new coins will be.

Angela Eagle: The estimated cost of the new coin designs is approximately 119,000, which includes, under the terms of the public competition, a 35,000 fee to the artist who submitted the final design.

Departmental Advertising

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 22nd February 2008, Official Report, column 1107W, on publication supplements, if he will place in the Library copies of the publication supplements commissioned by Ogcbuying. Solutions and HM Revenue and Customs.

Angela Eagle: The publication supplements were produced and distributed by  Supply Management magazine not OGCbuying.solutions. We therefore do not hold a supply of copies, but we will place a copy in the Library.
	HM Revenue and Customs did not commission the publication of any newspaper or magazine supplements in 2006-07.

Departmental Written Questions

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many days it took on average to answer written parliamentary questions tabled by each hon. Member for answer by him in the last six months.

Angela Eagle: Information to the level of detail requested is obtainable only at disproportionate cost.
	Treasury Ministers are committed to answering written parliamentary questions promptly whenever possible. In the present parliamentary Session 71 per cent. of the 2,063 ordinary written questions we have received have been answered within a working week of tabling (as provided for in Erskine May, twenty-third edition, page 342) and 56 per cent. of our 538 named day questions have been answered on the day nominated by questioners. The corresponding figures for the whole of the 2006-07 session were 83 per cent. (of 3,689 questions) and 71 per cent. (of 743 questions) respectively.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of the change in fuel duty rates announced in Budget 2008 on those living in remote areas.

Angela Eagle: The Chancellor considers a range of factors when deciding on rates of fuel duty, including social, economic and environmental ones. The planned fuel duty increase for April 2008 will now take place on 1 October 2008. This Budget 2008 decision is consistent with an overall stance of ensuring stability for the long term, while maintaining responsiveness to short-term conditions.

Financial Services: Pay

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conditions govern the payment of  (a) dividends and  (b) bonuses by banks and financial institutions which have received financial support from the public purse; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The remuneration of the majority of staff of commercial undertakings is a matter for the boards of the organisations concerned. The normal practice for Executive Board remuneration is for the company's Remuneration Committee, formed of non- executive directors, to put forward proposals for shareholder approval where any bank is in receipt of financial assistance, whether or not it is in public ownership.
	I refer the right hon. Member to what the Chief Secretary to the Treasury said in the House on 31 March,  Official Report, 585.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his announcement on 23 April of measures to alleviate the impact of removing the 10p tax rate, what the estimated cost to the public purse is of these measures will be in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Jane Kennedy: The Chancellor wrote to the Chair of the Commons Treasury Committee on 23 April to outline how the Government intend to do more to help low-income households. This letter made clear that a report on the issue will be published in the run-up to the pre-Budget report, and that the Chancellor will report back to the House in the pre-Budget report.

Inflation

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the likely effects on inflation of the provision by the Bank of England to banks of arrangements for enhanced liquidity.

Angela Eagle: The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has full operational independence in meeting the Government's inflation target. The MPC makes interest rate decisions based on rigorous analysis, taking into account all relevant information, which includes the provision of liquidity to banks by the Bank of England.
	In addition, the Bank of England has stated that the Special Liquidity Scheme announced on 21 April 2008
	will be ring-fenced and independent of the Bank of England's regular money market operations. So it will not interfere with the Bank's ability to implement monetary policy.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire dated 18 March 2008 on tax on Land Rovers used by farmers.

Angela Eagle: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Minimum Wage: Prosecutions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employers has been prosecuted for paying employees at a rate below the minimum wage in each year since the minimum wage was introduced, broken down by region.

Jane Kennedy: There have been no prosecutions of employers for the non-payment of minimum wage. In 2007 there were two successful prosecutions of employers, one for obstructing a compliance officer and one for failing to produce records, in the London and South West regions.
	In the great majority of cases where minimum wage arrears are identified, the employer pays any minimum wage arrears without the need for any formal enforcement action. When arrears are not paid, an enforcement notice will be issued setting out the arrears that are considered to be due. An employer will then have 28 days to lodge an appeal and subsequently have his case heard before an employment tribunal. If the tribunal does not uphold the appeal, or the employer does not appeal, the enforcement notice against the arrears becomes due.

Sovereign Wealth Funds

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on sovereign wealth funds; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The Government have received contributions from a wide range of parties with an interest in the current international debate about sovereign wealth funds, including the Business Council for Britain.
	The Government welcome these contributions to the international debate that is currently taking place at the International Monetary Fund and the Office for Econmic Co-operation and Development to develop best practice for sovereign wealth funds and host countries.

Sovereign Wealth Funds

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether sovereign wealth funds are exempt from taxation in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much was raised by sovereign wealth funds in the UK in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: Where a sovereign wealth fund is an integral part of the government of a foreign sovereign state it will benefit from immunity from UK tax. As a result of this immunity, no taxation will have been received from sovereign wealth funds.
	The United Kingdom recognises the principle of international law known as sovereign immunity whereby one sovereign state does not seek to apply its domestic laws to another sovereign state. In accordance with this principle, current UK practice is to regard as immune from direct taxes all income and gains which are beneficially owned by the head of state and the Government of a foreign sovereign state recognised by the UK.

Sustainable Development: Expenditure

Alan Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Government spent on incentivising low-carbon technologies and lifestyles in the form of  (a) capital grants,  (b) research and development grants,  (c) tax and duty rebates,  (d) enhanced capital allowances,  (e) expenditure on the provision of information and advice to businesses and consumers and  (f) other expenditure on achieving carbon dioxide emission reductions in (i) 2006 and (ii) 2007.

Angela Eagle: The Government have a range of policies in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the move to a low carbon economy. These include spending programmes, fiscal measures and regulation.
	Figures for the breakdown requested are not held separately, but spending in 2006-07 on major programmes to support Research and Development and provide information and advice was as follows. The Carbon Trust was given 100 million to take the lead on business and public sector energy efficiency and encourage the development of a low-carbon economy in the UK. The Energy Saving Trust received 67 million to encourage and promote the sustainable and efficient use of energy in the household sector. Spending on low-carbon energy innovation through the Research Councils Energy Programme was 63 million, and spending through the Technology Strategy Board was 20 million. These figures are for Government as a whole, including funding from devolved administrations.
	All tax measures that have an impact upon the public finances are scored as a matter of course and reported in PBR/Budget documents.

Taxation: Voluntary Organisations

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will increase the level of milage for which tax-free expenses may be paid to volunteer drivers of voluntary and charitable organisations.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 12 November 2007,  Official Report, column 22W. HMRC allows volunteers to use the approved milage allowance payment (AMAP) rate for convenience, but it is not mandatory and volunteer drivers can claim tax relief for the full cost of motoring by completing a return, if they wish to do so.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Health Hazards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government plans to take to address health problems associated with consumption of super-strength lager.

Dawn Primarolo: We know that some people are drinking too much, and tackling the culture of harmful and binge drinking is a priority for Government. We are working with the alcohol industry and other stakeholders to implement a comprehensive strategy to tackle it, including:
	a new public information campaign, which will start on 19 May;
	more help for people who want to drink lesstargeted advice and support will be available from the same date;
	a Home Office led review of industry social responsibility standards, which will report this Spring;
	an independent review of alcohol pricing, promotion, and harm, which will report in August; and
	toughened enforcement of the law on underage sales.
	Much alcohol-related harm is preventable, and there are substantial health gains to be made through the widespread implementation of programmes to identify harmful drinking earlier, providing brief advice or referral to specialist alcohol treatment for those who need it.
	We have put in place a new national indicator from April 2008 to measure change in the rate of alcohol related hospital admissionsthe first ever national commitment to monitor publicly how the national health service is tackling alcohol harms. This indicator is expected to encourage earlier identification of people who drink too much linked to advice from general practitioners or hospitals. That is shown to be the best way of reducing the kind of 'everyday' drinking which over time leads to liver disease and other problems.
	We will disseminate the lessons of the current trailblazer pilots on identification and brief advice to encourage uptake by NHS professionals.

Blood

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the  (a) daily,  (b) weekly and  (c) monthly clinical requirement for blood units to meet demand in the NHS.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Blood Service (NBS) issued a total of 1,825,000 red cell units during 2007-08.
	This equates to
	an average daily issue of 5,000 red cell units;
	an average weekly issue of 35,906 red cell units; and
	an average monthly issue of 152,083 red cell units.
	The projected requirement for 2008-09 is a total issue of 1,765,000 red cell units, which would equate to:
	an average daily issue of 4,836 red cell units;
	an average weekly issue of 33,942 red cell units; and
	an average monthly issue of 147,083 red cell units.

Blood Donors

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered blood donors there were in England and Wales in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) 2007-08, broken down by local authority area.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Blood Service (NBS) has provided information on the number of registered blood donors in England and North Wales. This information is contained in the following table.
	
		
			   Active whole blood donors (million) 
			 2003-04 1.66 
			 2004-05 1.60 
			 2005-06 1.58 
			 2006-07 1.45 
			 2007-08 1.37 
			  Note:  The NBS are unable to provide a breakdown by local authority area.

Blood: Testing

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the change in capacity in processing and testing of blood resulting from the consolidation by the National Blood Service of testing and processing facilities.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Blood Service (NBS) needs to improve efficiency and provide value for money for the national health service. The changes set out in the strategy review will allow the NBS to stabilise the cost of blood to hospitals.
	The NBS strategy review demonstrated that the service is currently operating at 40 per cent. excess capacity in blood processing and 35 per cent. excess capacity in blood testing. The consolidation of processing and testing sites to six and five respectively will retain a good geographic spread across the country, while enabling the service to be more productive and ensuring the necessary flexibility to meet clinical and safety requirements now and in the future. The changes set out in the review will remove 24 per cent. excess capacity in processing and 28 per cent. in testing.
	The current network of 15 blood issue sites (where blood is stocked and from which it is issued) will continue to supply hospitals with blood, as and when they need it.

Blood: Testing

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the financial effects on the National Blood Service of the consolidation of testing and processing facilities.

Dawn Primarolo: The consolidation of processing and testing facilities will produce cumulative savings of 9.9 million up to 2010-11.

Cardiovascular System: Screening

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the modelling work on vascular risk assessment referred to in his Department's document Putting Prevention First.

Ann Keen: holding answer 21 April 2008
	The Department will publish a technical report on the modelling work used in developing its approach to vascular checks in the summer of 2008, which will be the subject of a consultation.

Care Homes: Protection

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress has been made on the implementation of a performance indicator to measure the effectiveness of protection processes for vulnerable adults; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what progress has been made on the introduction of a mandatory scheme for the collection and reporting of data by adult protection committees on vulnerable adult referrals; what resources his Department has provided for the project to date; and what resources it plans to provide in the next three financial years.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 24 April 2008
	A working group has been set up, comprising representatives from the Information Centre for health and social care, the Department, councils with adult social services responsibilities, Action on Elder Abuse, 'Respond' and academics.
	A pilot data collection is planned for 2008-09, with a view to implementing a full data collection across all councils from 1 April 2009. The introduction of the national data collection will enable work to begin on developing an effective monitoring system, which will help support our drive to improve the lives of vulnerable and older people and the delivery of social care services.
	The Department plans to provide the following resources to fund the project for the next three years.
	
		
			 
			 2007-08 Identifying information requirements, development and set up costs including development of information technology collection tool. 78,000 
			 2008-09 Developing analysis tools and answering queries. 23,000 
			 2009-10 Collecting, analysing and disseminating data. 24,000 
		
	
	Once we have established the feasibility of collecting these data, we will be in a position to consider the development of a performance indicator.

Death

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people who die alone.

Ivan Lewis: Over 500,000 people die each year in England. Approximately 55 per cent. of these deaths occur in hospital, around 20 per cent. at home, around 20 per cent. in care homes and around 4 per cent. in hospices. However, it is not known how many of these people die alone.
	The Department is committed to improving people's care and choice at the end of life. Through the End of Life Care Programme, we have invested 12 million to support the rollout of end of life care tools such as the Gold Standards Framework, the Liverpool Care Pathway and the Preferred Place of Care. This summer, we will publish England's first End of Life Care Strategy. This comprehensive strategy will help deliver increased choice to all adult patients regardless of their condition about where they live and die.

Fibromyalgia

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the clinical causes of fibromyalgia.

Ann Keen: holding answer 25 April 2008
	We have made no assessment of the causes of fibromyalgia.

General Practitioners

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were registered with a general practitioner in each region in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 25 April 2008
	Data showing the number of registered patients by region is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Registered  general practitioner patients England 
			All patients (headcount) 
			  England 53,588,174 
			
			 Q30 North East 2,632,206 
			 Q31 North West 7,229,567 
			 Q32 Yorkshire and the Humber 5,328,651 
			 Q33 East Midlands 4,480,006 
			 Q34 West Midlands 5,684,311 
			 Q35 East of England 5,829,376 
			 Q36 London 8,411,763 
			 Q37 South East Coast 4,454,941 
			 Q38 South Central 4,206,838 
			 Q39 South West 5,330,515 
			  Note: Data as at 30 September 2007.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

General Practitioners: Buckingham Palace

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the closed-list GP practice at Buckingham Palace provides for  (a) Royal Household staff based outside the area of Westminster Primary Care Trust and  (b) staff employed in the households of other members of the Royal Family; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what revenue the closed-list GP practice at Buckingham Palace received under the additional needs-based allocation in each year since 2004; and what proportion of its income this represented in each such year;
	(3)  how many patients are registered on the closed-list GP practice at Buckingham Palace; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  for what reasons there is a closed-list GP practice at Buckingham Palace; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 21 April 2008
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for providing local health services, including primary medical services, to reflect local needs and healthcare priorities. Westminster PCT has advised they it has a long-standing general medical services (GMS) contract with a general practitioner to provide primary medical services for staff who live within the borders of Buckingham Palace. All GMS contracts set out the practice's boundaries, and in this case the practice area covers only the environs of the Palace. The practice does not operate a closed list but, in common with all practices, it does not have to register patients who live outside the practice area. The latest available data show that at 30 September 2007 there were 296 patients registered at the Buckingham Palace practice.
	Information about the revenue that the practice has received for additional needs is not held centrally. My hon. Friend may therefore wish to raise this issue with the chief executive of Westminster PCT. However, the issue here is not additional needs funding but payments made under the minimum practice income guarantee, which is being reviewed and on which announcements will be made as part of the Next Stage Review this summer.

General Practitioners: Public Participation

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many responses his Department received to the GP patient access survey, Your doctor, your experience, your say in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) 2007-08; and what the response rate was in each year.

Ben Bradshaw: In 2006-07, the first year of the general practitioner patient survey, Ipsos MORI, which conduct, the survey on behalf of the Department, received a total of 2,295,987 valid responses from a total sample of 5,220,482, a response rate of 44 per cent. overall.
	Survey data for 2007-08 are currently being processed and remain restricted and unavailable until official publication by the Information Centre for health and social care. Publication has been confirmed for the week commencing 14 July 2008.

General Practitioners: Public Participation

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners failed to achieve the  (a) minimum and  (b) maximum percentage response of yes to access questions as part of the GP patient access survey Your doctor, your experience, your say survey, in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05, (iii) 2005-06, (iv) 2006-07 and (v) 2007-08, broken down by primary care trust.

Ben Bradshaw: The first year in which the general practitioner patient survey was conducted was 2006-07. The number of primary medical care contractors in England who failed to achieve the minimum and maximum percentage responses of yes to the access questions have been placed in the Library. The table gives the breakdown by primary care trust. The survey does not apply in Wales.
	The survey data for 2007-08 are currently being processed by Ipsos MORI, the appointed survey provider, and remain restricted and unavailable until official publication by the Information Centre for health and social care. Publication has been confirmed for the week commencing 14 July 2008.

Heart Diseases

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government have taken to reduce the incidence of heart attacks.

Ann Keen: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 25 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1191-92W.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used to appoint authorised persons to inspect  (a) central sterile stores and  (b) management of infection control.

Ann Keen: Guidance on the management and environment for the decontamination of reusable medical devices is set out in Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 01-01): Decontamination of re-usable medical devices. Copies of this document are available in the Library.
	Section five of Part A of HTM 01-01, identifies the functional responsibilities including 'Authorised Persons (Decontamination)' to ensure equipment is operated safely and efficiently. The precise criteria concerning the appointment of an authorised person are covered in paragraphs 5.35 to 5.43 in this document.
	Directors of Infection Prevention and Control are appointed by national health service trusts who decide which criteria to use. Guidance on competences for DIPCs was issued in May 2004. The detail can be found at
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_4083982
	In addition, all acute NHS trusts are inspected against the Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections by the Healthcare Commission. The Healthcare Commission decides which criteria to use when recruiting its specialist teams of inspectors.

Influenza

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2008,  Official Report, column 596W, on influenza, to which organisations providing essential services the National Capabilities Survey is sent; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: I have been asked to reply
	The 2008 National Capabilities Survey was sent to the full range of over 1,200 Category 1 and 2 responders in England and Wales, as defined by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. Among these, the private-sector organisations providing essential services are to be found among the category 2 responders. The UK Resilience website provides a list of the kinds of organisations that fall into each of these categories:
	http://www.ukresilience.info/preparedness/ccact/~/media/assets/www.ukresilience.info/err_ann_03a%20pdf.ashx
	Copies of the lists have been placed in the Library for the reference of Members.

Mentally Ill People

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people were diagnosed with mental health problems before the age of  (a) five,  (b) 10,  (c) 15 and  (d) 20 years in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Information is not collected by the Department on the number of children and adults diagnosed with a mental health disorder.
	The Office for National Statistics 2004 survey 'Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain' looked at the prevalence of mental health disorders. It found that 10 per cent. of young people aged five to 16 years had a clinically diagnosed mental disorder. This was further broken down to 8 per cent. of five to 10-year-olds and 12 per cent. of 11 to 16-year-olds. A copy of this publication is available in the Library.

NHS Blood and Transplant: Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the budget was for the NHS Blood and Transplant Special Health Authority in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) 2007-08;
	(2)  what the combined budget was of the National Blood Service and UK Transplant and Bio Products Laboratory in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) 2007-08.

Dawn Primarolo: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) was established in October 2005 following the merger of the National Blood Authority (NBA) (made up of the National Blood Service and Bio Products Laboratory) and UK Transplant (UKT).
	Information on the total budget is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Special health authority  Total budget ( million) 
			 2003-04 NBA and UKT 415 
			 2004-05 NBA and UKT 445 
			 2005-06 NBA and UKT (until September 2005). NHSBT from October 2005 448 
			 2006-07 NHSBT 448 
			 2007-08 NHSBT 483

NHS Blood and Transplant: Manpower

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what changes in headcount in the National Blood Service and UK Transplant and Bio Products Laboratory are planned as part of the implementation of the findings of the Review of the National Blood Service;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the effects on employee numbers in the National Blood Service of the consolidation of testing and processing facilities.

Dawn Primarolo: Consolidation of processing and testing to six and five sites respectively will result in a reduction of around 140 posts. This is part of an anticipated overall reduction of up to 600 posts across the National Blood Service (NBS) by the end of 2010-11. The NBS intends to reduce these posts largely through non-compulsory means, including voluntary redundancy, staff turnover and vacancy control. Help will be provided for all staff affected by change to find other jobs, across NHS Blood and Transplant and the wider national health service.

Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre: Finance

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much South Central Strategic Health Authority has spent on the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre's  (a) foundation trust diagnostic exercise,  (b) strategic options exercise with KPMG and  (c) Stage 1 financial viability assessment; and how much it is estimated will be spent on Stages 2 and 3 of the financial viability assessment.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 24 April 2008
	The information requested is not held centrally. It is for South Central Strategic Health Authority (SHA) to work with Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust to develop the strategic future of the trust. The hon. Member may therefore wish to raise this with the chief executive of South Central SHA.

Polyclinics: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation has been undertaken with local stakeholders on the proposed establishment of a polyclinic facility in the Peterborough primary care trust area in March 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 24 April 2008
	Decisions on the form of consultation process to adopt, whom to consult and the time allowed for this process will be made by each primary care trust, and will need to be taken in the light of all relevant factors, including any consultation already conducted or under way.
	PCTs are working locally with their strategic health authorities and relevant stakeholders, including local clinicians and patients, to design their service specifications for new health centres.

Sight Impairment: Research

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to support the continuation of research into gene therapy for inherited blindness conducted at Moorfields Eye Hospital and the Institute of Ophthalmology; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The ocular gene therapy research being undertaken by University College London Institute of Ophthalmology and Moofield Eye Hospital'Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is at forefront of world science and should lead to the restoration of sight to many people. The project has been directly funded by the Department, along with other funding partners. The Moorfields BRC has been allocated some 14 million over five years by the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
	The project is an exemplar of translational research, and illustrates the importance of getting cutting-edge science from the laboratory to the patients whom it can benefit. To that end, we have set up the Office for Strategic Co-ordination for Health Research, chaired by Professor Sir John Bell, working with the Medical Research Council and the NIHR to ensure a major improvement in the translation of basic research into health and economic benefits; and have invested in a single health research fund that will rise to 1.7 billion by 2010-11.

Social Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people of working age were assessed for social care needs in each local authority in 2007-08; and how many people so assessed were found to have a  (a) low,  (b) moderate,  (c) substantial and  (d) critical level of social care need in each local authority;
	(2)  how many people of working age who were assessed for social care needs in 2007-08 and found to have a level of social care need  (a) did and  (b) did not go on to receive state-funded social care support from their local authority.

Ivan Lewis: The latest available data are for 2006-07. The level of social care need is not held centrally.
	The following table shows the number of new clients aged 18 to 64 with completed assessments and the anticipated sequel to assessment completed during the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007.
	
		
			  Number of clients aged 18 to 64 with completed assessments by anticipated sequel to assessment or review, England, 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 
			  Rounded numbers 
			   Councils with social services responsibilities  Total  Some or all (new) services intended or already started  No (new) services offered or intended to be provided  (New) services(s) offered but declined  Other sequel 
			   England 190,000 119,000 49,000 4,200 17,000 
			
			   North-east 8,800 5,300 2,300 300 900 
			   Shire counties  
			 116 Durham 995 810 165 20 0 
			 104 Northumberland 525 325 205 0 0 
			
			   Unitary authorities  
			 117 Darlington 285 190 60 10 20 
			 111 Hartlepool 405 220 185 0 0 
			 112 Middlesbrough 710 265 365 30 50 
			 113 Redcar and Cleveland 505 390 100 10 (1) 
			 114 Stockton-on-Tees 495 455 15 10 15 
			
			   Metropolitan districts  
			 106 Gateshead 710 370 285 50 0 
			 107 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,450 590 145 90 620 
			 108 North Tyneside 730 405 130 10 185 
			 109 South Tyneside 770 445 305 20 (1) 
			 110 Sunderland 1,240 800 380 20 40 
			
			   North-west 23,000 13,000 5,500 900 3,100 
			   Shire counties  
			 320 Cheshire 2,145 1,085 710 65 285 
			 102 Cumbria 900 455 195 55 190 
			 323 Lancashire 2,750 1,570 630 205 345 
			
			   Unitary authorities  
			 324 Blackburn 330 80 175 35 40 
			 325 Blackpool 290 150 115 25 0 
			 321 Halton 305 165 135 (1) 0 
			 322 Warrington 745 355 345 5 40 
			
			   Metropolitan districts  
			 304 Bolton 1,260 950 225 55 30 
			 305 Bury 685 425 115 45 100 
			 315 Knowsley 580 455 110 15 (1) 
			 316 Liverpool 1,495 1,090 210 60 130 
			 306 Manchester 1,345 715 275 60 300 
			 307 Oldham 1,450 605 110 10 725 
			 308 Rochdale (2) 495 260 20 (2) 
			 309 Salford 260 150 50 10 50 
			 317 Sefton 440 310 100 10 20 
			 318 St Helens 565 420 80 25 40 
			 310 Stockport 900 750 70 45 35 
			 311 Tameside 1,680 1,000 500 30 145 
			 312 Trafford 780 420 330 5 25 
			 313 Wigan 1,625 1,135 400 60 30 
			 319 Wirral 1,470 425 405 20 620 
			
			   Yorkshire and the Humber 19,000 12,000 3,700 500 1,800 
			   Shire counties  
			 218 North Yorkshire 1,275 805 360 20 85 
			 214 East Riding 1,100 705 350 10 35 
			 215 Kingston-upon-Hull 1,870 1,595 235 20 20 
			 216 North East Lincolnshire 815 720 65 (1) 30 
			 217 North Lincolnshire 1,055 610 220 5 220 
			 219 York 705 305 235 10 160 
			
			   Metropolitan districts  
			 204 Barnsley 1,790 1,705 70 15 0 
			 209 Bradford 1,485 915 415 80 75 
			 210 Calderdale 435 365 40 15 20 
			 205 Doncaster 585 300 (1) 200 85 
			 211 Kirklees 1,130 525 455 15 130 
			 212 Leeds 2,535 1,055 960 35 480 
			 206 Rotherham 325 260 55 10 (1) 
			 207 Sheffield 2,700 2,275 30 55 345 
			 213 Wakefield 695 325 195 35 135 
			
			   East  M idlands 11,000 7,900 1,800 100 900 
			   Shire counties  
			 506 Derbyshire 1,715 1,320 135 25 235 
			 508 Leicestershire 1,045 805 150 30 55 
			 503 Lincolnshire 1,290 735 170 10 375 
			 504 Northamptonshire 2,395 1,720 670 0 5 
			 511 Nottinghamshire  1,005 140 20 (2) 
			
			   Unitary authorities  
			 507 Derby 600 425 135 10 25 
			 509 Leicester 745 580 110 40 15 
			 512 Nottingham 1,605 1,185 235 10 175 
			 510 Rutland 140 110 20 (1) (1) 
			
			   West  M idlands 20,000 13,000 6,200 400 900 
			   Shire counties  
			 417 Shropshire 1,975 1,210 770 (1) 0 
			 413 Staffordshire 1,630 1,010 325 40 255 
			 404 Warwickshire 1,785 1,065 695 25 0 
			 416 Worcestershire 775 500 80 20 175 
			   Unitary authorities  
			 415 Herefordshire (2) 670 80 0 (2) 
			 414 Stoke-on-Trent 1,905 795 755 75 280 
			 418 Telford and Wrekin 1,330 920 405 (1) 0 
			
			   Metropolitan districts  
			 406 Birmingham 5,600 3,165 2,220 190 25 
			 407 Coventry 845 595 235 15 0 
			 408 Dudley 980 755 150 10 65 
			 409 Sandwell 1,100 1,020 70 10 0 
			 410 Solihull 415 285 70 20 45 
			 411 Walsall 230 130 30 5 70 
			 412 Wolverhampton 870 575 300 0 0 
			
			   South  W est 22,000 15,000 4,500 400 2,200 
			   Shire counties  
			 902 Cornwall 2,250 1,180 215 120 735 
			 912 Devon 4,390 3,570 815 (1) 0 
			 809 Dorset 2,270 1,635 430 30 175 
			 904 Gloucestershire 2,005 1,485 360 45 115 
			 906 Isles of Scilly 10 10 0 0 0 
			 905 Somerset 1,375 895 200 50 225 
			 817 Wiltshire 1,880 1,255 595 25 10 
			
			   Unitary authorities  
			 908 Bath and North East Somerset 410 310 100 (1)- 0 
			 810 Bournemouth 640 400 35 20 190 
			 909 Bristol 2,415 1,330 745 20 315 
			 910 North Somerset 335 230 10 10 85 
			 913 Plymouth 1,260 805 455 0 0 
			 811 Poole 840 625 195 15 (1) 
			 911 South Gloucestershire 525 335 85 5 10 
			 819 Swindon 910 575 215 5 120 
			 914 Torbay 580 420 50 10 100 
			
			   Eastern 18,000 12,000 5,300 300 1,100 
			   Shire counties  
			 610 Bedfordshire 1,020 490 530 0 0 
			 623 Cambridgeshire 930 770 135 25 (1) 
			 620 Essex 7,735 4,850 2,665 10 210 
			 606 Hertfordshire 2,115 1,590 235 55 245 
			  607 Norfolk 1,520 1,080 235 55 150 
			  609 Suffolk 1,915 1,355 205 35 320 
			
			   Unitary authorities  
			 611 Luton 575 330 215 20 5 
			 624 Peterborough 485 335 60 20 75 
			 621 Southend 1,455 475 910 15 55 
			 622 Thurrock 390 255 90 45 0 
			
			   London 31,000 18,000 9,500 1,100 2,600 
			   Inner London  
			 702 Camden 700 535 130 10 30 
			 703 Greenwich 2,230 1,840 330 15 40 
			 704 Hackney 1,240 895 295 45 (1) 
			 705 Hammersmith and Fulham 765 490 175 75 30 
			 706 Islington 1,180 485 475 15 205 
			 707 Kensington and Chelsea 980 615 205 30 135 
			 708 Lambeth 645 390 205 0 50 
			 709 Lewisham 1,000 825 150 25 0 
			 710 Southwark 2,685 1,420 940 215 110 
			 711 Tower Hamlets 450 160 15 (1) 265 
			 712 Wandsworth (2) 250 330 70 (2) 
			 713 Westminster 1,570 645 630 45 255 
			 714 City of London 65 30 30 (1) (1) 
			
			   Outer London  
			 716 Barking and Dagenham 390 240 50 75 30 
			 717 Barnet 570 285 175 20 90 
			 718 Bexley 1,940 920 855 30 135 
			 719 Brent 2,360 620 1,640 25 80 
			 720 Bromley (2) 1,045 215 80 (2) 
			 721 Croydon 320 190 85 40 0 
			 722 Ealing 1,665 855 750 10 40 
			 723 Enfield 570 455 60 20 40 
			 724 Haringey 875 495 250 10 120 
			 725 Harrow 310 210 70 10 25 
			 726 Havering 305 160 30 30 90 
			 727 Hillingdon 495 365 5 (1) 120 
			 728 Hounslow 520 270 105 (1) 145 
			 729 Kingston-upon-Thames 540 350 105 15 70 
			 730 Merton 990 645 45 55 240 
			 731 Newham 2,440 1,335 880 10 220 
			 732 Redbridge 480 350 15 115 0 
			 733 Richmond upon Thames 255 180 30 (1) 45 
			 734 Sutton 245 205 20 (1) 15 
			 735 Waltham Forest 275 115 150 10 0 
			
			   South  E ast 37,000 23,000 11,000 200 3,200 
			   Shire counties  
			 612 Buckinghamshire 1,010 650 340 (1) 15 
			 815 East Sussex 1,785 705 520 35 530 
			 812 Hampshire 8,785 7,510 840 10 425 
			 820 Kent 6,125 4,255 1,550 25 290 
			 608 Oxfordshire 1,220 635 565 10 10 
			 805 Surrey 7,710 2,100 5,210 25 375 
			 807 West Sussex 2,920 2,770 125 10 15 
			   Unitary authorities  
			 614 Bracknell Forest 1,065 445 355 15 250 
			 816 Brighton and Hove 430 320 40 (1) 70 
			 803 Isle of Wight 260 175 25 (1) 60 
			 821 Medway Towns 1,820 715 260 0 845 
			 613 Milton Keynes 280 240 35 (1) (1) 
			 813 Portsmouth 250 130 30 (1) 85 
			 616 Reading 795 360 245 15 170 
			 617 Slough 795 645 150 0 0 
			 814 Southampton 955 770 160 10 15 
			 615 West Berkshire 575 460 110 (1) (1) 
			 618 Windsor and Maidenhead 375 270 95 10 0 
			 619 Wokingham 175 130 40 (1) (1) 
			 (1) Denotes five or less (or less than 50 for National and Regional totals) (2) Denotes missing data  Notes: 1. The England and regional totals are estimates based on the figures from 150 A5 proformas 2. Figures may not add up because of rounding. 3. Regional and national totals may not be equal to the sum of the council level figures due to the use of estimates when the council did not fully complete the return.  Source: RAP proforma A5

Trauma

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet representatives of the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death to discuss its report Trauma: Who Cares?

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 25 April 2008
	The Department has regular contact with the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) on a variety of issues. We are carefully considering how to take forward the recommendations in the report, Trauma: Who Cares? and officials will be arranging a further meeting with NCEPOD shortly.

Tuberculosis: Foreigners

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what percentage of recent tuberculosis cases those diagnosed were not born in the UK.

Dawn Primarolo: The country of birth (United Kingdom or non-UK) was reported for 89 per cent. of cases of tuberculosis diagnosed in the UK in 2006 (latest available data). Of these cases, 72 per cent. were not born in the UK.
	 Notes
	1. The provisional data for 2007 were published in March 2008 but do not include detailed demographic data.
	2. The finalised data for 2007 will be available in autumn 2008 and will include detailed demographic data.
	 Source
	Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and Enhanced Surveillance of Mycobacterial Infections (Scotland).

Westminster Primary Care Trust: General Practitioners

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Thurrock of 1 April 2008,  Official Report, column 884W, on Westminster Primary Care Trust: General Practitioners, what the names are of the 2 per cent. of GP practices with closed lists; and under which primary care trusts they operate.

Ben Bradshaw: Data on individual general practitioner practice closed lists are held at primary care trust (PCT) level and not collected centrally. The following table lists the names of PCTs which have reported practices as having closed lists. The results of the quarter 4 (February) 2007-08 Primary Care Access Survey (PCAS) show that 148 practices have been reported as having a closed list, representing 1.7 per cent. of the total 8,505 practices reported in the PCAS.
	
		
			  Organisation name  Number of practices whose list is closed for new patients to register  Percentage of (all) practices whose list is closed for new patients to register 
			  8,505  
			
			 England 148 1.7 
			 County Durham PCT 0 0.0 
			 Darlington PCT 0 0.0 
			 Gateshead PCT 1 3.0 
			 Hartlepool PCT 0 0.0 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 0 0.0 
			 Newcastle PCT 1 2.7 
			 North Tyneside PCT 0 0.0 
			 Northumberland Care Trust 1 2.0 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 0 0.0 
			 South Tyneside PCT 4 13.8 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Teaching 0 0.0 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT 1 1.9 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 0 0.0 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 3 9.7 
			 Blackpool PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bolton PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bury PCT 2 6.3 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 6 6.5 
			 Cumbria PCT 0 0.0 
			 East Lancashire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Halton and St Helens PCT 1 1.9 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 2 5.7 
			 Knowsley PCT 1 2.8 
			 Liverpool PCT 0 0.0 
			 Manchester PCT 5 4.9 
			 North Lancashire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Oldham PCT 1 2.2 
			 Salford PCT 7 12.7 
			 Sefton PCT 2 3.6 
			 Stockport PCT 0 0.0 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 3 7.5 
			 Trafford PCT 13 27.7 
			 Warrington PCT 5 17.2 
			 Western Cheshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Wirral PCT 0 0.0 
			 Barnsley PCT 1 2.3 
			 Bradford and Airedale PCT 3 3.5 
			 Calderdale PCT 0 0.0 
			 Doncaster PCT 0 0.0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 3 7.3 
			 Hull PCT 5 8.3 
			 Kirklees PCT 0 0.0 
			 Leeds PCT 2 1.8 
			 North East Lincolnshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 0 0.0 
			 Rotherham PCT 0 0.0 
			 Sheffield PCT 0 0.0 
			 Wakefield District PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bassetlaw PCT 0 0.0 
			 Derby City PCT 0 0.0 
			 Derbyshire County PCT 0 0.0 
			 Leicester City PCT 1 1.4 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 1 1.2 
			 Lincolnshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Northamptonshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Nottingham City PCT 0 0.0 
			 Nottinghamshire County PCT 5 5.0 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 1 1.2 
			 Coventry Teaching PCT 1 1.5 
			 Dudley PCT 0 0.0 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 3 4.0 
			 Herefordshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 North Staffordshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Sandwell PCT 0 0.0 
			 Shropshire County PCT 0 0.0 
			 Solihull PCT 0 0.0 
			 South Birmingham PCT 0 0.0 
			 South Staffordshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Stoke on Trent PCT 0 0.0 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 0 0.0 
			 Walsall Teaching PCT 0 0.0 
			 Warwickshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT 0 0.0 
			 Worcestershire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 3 5.4 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT (1) (1) 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 1 1.6 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 4 12.5 
			 Luton Teaching PCT 1 3.3 
			 Mid Essex PCT 0 0.0 
			 Norfolk PCT 0 0.0 
			 North East Essex PCT 0 0.0 
			 Peterborough PCT 4 12.9 
			 South East Essex PCT 0 0.0 
			 South West Essex PCT 0 0.0 
			 Suffolk PCT 0 0.0 
			 West Essex PCT 1 2.5 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 0 0.0 
			 Barnet PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bexley Care Trust 1 2.9 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 1 1.4 
			 Bromley PCT 0 0.0 
			 Camden PCT 1 2.4 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 0 0.0 
			 Croydon PCT 1 1.5 
			 Ealing PCT 0 0.0 
			 Enfield PCT 0 0.0 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 0 0.0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 0 0.0 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 0 0.0 
			 Harrow PCT 1 2.6 
			 Havering PCT 1 1.7 
			 Hillingdon PCT 1 2.0 
			 Hounslow PCT 0 0.0 
			 Islington PCT 1 2.5 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 0 0.0 
			 Kingston PCT 0 0.0 
			 Lambeth PCT 0 0.0 
			 Lewisham PCT 0 0.0 
			 Newham PCT 13 18.6 
			 Redbridge PCT 0 0.0 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 0 0.0 
			 Southwark PCT 0 0.0 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 0 0.0 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 0 0.0 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 0 0.0 
			 Wandsworth PCT 0 0.0 
			 Westminster PCT 2 4.0 
			 Brighton and Hove City PCT 0 0.0 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 0 0.0 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 14 11.9 
			 Hastings and Rother PCT 0 0.0 
			 Medway Teaching PCT 0 0.0 
			 Surrey PCT 0 0.0 
			 West Kent PCT 6 5.8 
			 West Sussex PCT 0 0.0 
			 Berkshire East PCT 1 1.9 
			 Berkshire West PCT 0 0.0 
			 Buckinghamshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Hampshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Isle of Wight Healthcare PCT 0 0.0 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 0 0.0 
			 Oxfordshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 0 0.0 
			 Southampton City PCT 1 2.5 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bournemouth and Poole PCT 0 0.0 
			 Bristol PCT 2 3.4 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 0 0.0 
			 Devon PCT 0 0.0 
			 Dorset PCT 0 0.0 
			 Gloucestershire PCT 0 0.0 
			 North Somerset PCT 0 0.0 
			 Plymouth Teaching PCT 0 0.0 
			 Somerset PCT 0 0.0 
			 South Gloucestershire PCT 0 0.0 
			 Swindon PCT 2 6.1 
			 Torbay Care Trust 0 0.0 
			 Wiltshire PCT 0 0.0 
			 (1) No Data.  Source: 2007-08 Department of Health Primary Care Access Survey (quarter 4).

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what evaluations of the academies programme have been commissioned by his Department for publication in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department has a contract with PricewaterhouseCoopers to carry out a yearly evaluation of the academies programme. This contract ends with the publication of the fifth annual report later this year. The Department is currently considering options for conducting future evaluations.

Academies: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether academies are permitted to select by aptitude in subject areas other than their specialism; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Any maintained school or academy may seek to admit up to 10 per cent. of its intake by aptitude in one of the relevant 'prescribed' subjects if it considers it has a specialism, whether or not that specialism is recognised formally by its designation as a specialist school or as an academy with a particular specialism. In the case of academies, such arrangements would have first to be approved by the Secretary of State.
	Prescribed subjects are limited to modern foreign languages, performing or visual arts and physical education or sport. Academies may also continue to select 10 per cent. by aptitude in design and technology and ICT if and only if they or their predecessor schools already had such arrangements in place prior to the 2008 academic year.

Academies: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many academies have refused to admit children after direction by local authorities since their establishment; how many such cases have been subject to an appeal to him; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Local authorities do not have the power to direct academies to admit children. The Secretary of State has the power of direction in the case of academies.

Academies: Head Teachers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 823W, on academies: head teachers, for what reasons the National Professional Qualification for Headship will be compulsory in all maintained schools other than academies; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We are considering the process for ensuring that all academies benefit from the best possible opportunities for enhanced leadership training appropriate to their circumstances, including the National Professional Qualification for Headship. I will write to the hon. Member with further details once that consideration is complete.

Academies: Pupil Exclusions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of rates of exclusions at academies; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: As a group, academies have an overall pattern of exclusions that is almost identical to the pattern for a control group of similar schools. Academies often inherit a large number of disengaged pupils and need to establish good behaviour in order to raise attainment. Academies place great emphasis on getting the basics right and improving behaviour in particular. As the new ethos and behaviour policy are implemented in an academy's early days, the number of exclusions may rise, but it typically falls as behaviour improves. This phenomenon is not unique to academies; the same effect is often observed when a new head teacher transforms a struggling maintained school.
	A paper illustrating the pattern of exclusions and comparing exclusions in academies with a control group of schools with similar characteristics has been placed in the House Library. The chart shows the overall distribution of exclusions in academies and a group of control schools.

Academies: Pupil Exclusions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what rights of appeal are available to pupils permanently excluded from academies; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The funding agreements of all academies provide that all pupils permanently excluded from academies have the right to an independent appeal panel in the same way as they would following permanent exclusion from a maintained school.

Academies: Pupil Exclusions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether academies are required to provide parents of excluded pupils with a right of appeal to an independent exclusions appeal panel; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: All academies are required to provide parents of permanently excluded pupils with the right of appeal to an independent appeals panel.

Academies: Sponsorship

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families who the  (a) sponsors and  (b) co-sponsors are of academies whose funding agreements were approved by his Department between 28 November 2007 and 15 April 2008.

Jim Knight: The information requested is in the chart as follows.
	
		
			  Academy name  FA signed  Sponsor  Co Sponsor  LA 
			 Oasis Academy Hengrove December 2007 Oasis Community Learning  Bristol, City of 
			 Djanogly City Academy December 2007 Sir Harry Djanogly  Nottingham 
			 Bede Academy December 2007 Emmanuel Schools Foundation  Northumberland 
			 The RSA Academy, Tipton February 2008 RSA  Sandwell 
			 City of London KPMG Academy March 2008 Corporation of London KPMG Hackney 
			 City of London Academy March 2008 Corporation of London City University Islington 
			 The Open Academy March 2008 Graham Dacre Bishop of Norwich Norfolk 
			 Colston's Girls March 2008 The Society of Merchant Venturers  Bristol, City of 
			 Pimlico Academy April 2008 FUTURE  Westminster

Academies: Teachers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what freedoms have been granted to academies over the pay and conditions of their staff; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It is the responsibility of the governing body of each academy to agree levels of pay and conditions of service with its employees. However, all teachers must have access to the Teachers Pension Scheme and all employees other than teachers must have access to the Local Government Pension Scheme. Any employees transferring to an academy from its predecessor school or schools have their existing pay and conditions protected under TUPE regulations.

Children

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many copies of his Department's Children's Plan Toolkit have been produced; and what the cost was of the production of those copies.

Beverley Hughes: A total of 1,550 packs have been produced. The total cost was 30,534, which included the design, production and distribution of the packs.

Children in Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many children in care were parents in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many children in care committed suicide in each of the last 10 years.

Kevin Brennan: Information on the number of mothers aged 12 and over who were looked after by English local authorities in each of the years ending 31 March 2005 to 2007 is shown in table A5 as follows. Table A5 is taken from the Statistical First Release (SFR 27/2007) entitled 'Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2007'. The SFR is located at
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000741/index. shtml
	and table A5 can be found within the first set of excel tables on the website.
	Information on the number of children in care who committed suicide is not collected centrally by the Department.
	
		
			  Table A5: mothers aged 12 years and over looked after at 31 March 2005 to 2007 by age at 31 March, age at birth of first child, category of need, ethnic origin and placement( 1,2,3) 
			  England 
			   Numbers  Percentage 
			   2005  2006  2007  2005  2006  2007 
			  All females looked after at 31 March( 1,2) 27,200 26,900 26,600
			
			  All mothers aged 12 years and over looked after at 31 March( 1,2) 300 310 360 100 100 100 
			
			  Age at 31 March (years) 300 310 360 100 100 100 
			 12 to 14 10 20 30 3 6 8 
			 15 40 40 40 14 12 12 
			 16 90 100 100 29 31 29 
			 17 160 160 190 54 51 52 
			 18 and over 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			
			  Age at birth of first child (years)( 4) * 310 360 * 100 100 
			 12 to 14 * 40 40 * 11 11 
			 15 * 60 70 * 19 19 
			 16 * 70 80 * 23 21 
			 17 * 40 50 * 11 14 
			 18 and over * 0  * 0  
			 Birth date not reported * 110 130 * 35 35 
			
			  Category of need( 5) 300 310 360 100 100 100 
			 Abuse or neglect 140 160 180 48 50 51 
			 Child's disability   
			 Parent's illness or disability 10  10 4  2 
			 Family in acute stress 30 30 30 10 11 9 
			 Family dysfunction 50 50 70 16 17 19 
			 Socially unacceptable behaviour 10 10 10 5 4 3 
			 Low income  0   0  
			 Absent parenting 50 50 60 17 15 16 
			
			  Ethnic origin 300 310 360 100 100 100 
			 White 190 190 230 63 61 63 
			 Mixed 20 30 30 8 9 8 
			 Asian or Asian British   10   2 
			 Black or Black British 80 80 90 25 26 24 
			 Other Ethnic groups   10   3 
			
			  Placement 300 310 360 100 100 100 
			 Foster placements 110 150 150 37 46 42 
			 Placed for adoption 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Placed with parents 20 20 20 8 6 5 
			 Placed in the community 80 80 100 26 26 28 
			 Secure units, children's homes and hostels 60 50 60 20 15 17 
			 Other residential settings 20 20 20 7 5 5 
			 Residential schools 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Missingabsent for more than 24 hours from agreed placement   
			 Other placement   
			 (1) Source: SSDA903 return on children looked after. (2) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (3) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (4) Data on the first child's date of birth was first collected in 2005-06. (5) The most applicable category of the eight Need Codes (i.e. the reason why the child is receiving social services) at the time the child was taken into care rather than necessarily the reason they are looked after.

Children in Care

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many young people in the care of a local authority went on to enter  (a) further and  (b) higher education in each local authority area in 2007;
	(2)  how many young people in the care of a local authority moved into  (a) hostel and  (b) bed and breakfast accommodation in each local authority area in 2007;
	(3)  how many young people in the care of a local authority were not in education, employment or training in each local authority area in 2007.

Kevin Brennan: Information on the number of young people in the care of each local authority who went on to  (a) further education and  (b) higher education, as well as the number of young people who were not in education, employment or training is not collected centrally by the Department. However, information on the number of children who are now aged 19 who were looked after on 1 April 2004 but have since left care and are engaged in higher educational studies (i.e. studies beyond A level) or who are not in education, employment or training has been placed in the House of Commons Library (Table LAG1). Table LAG1 is taken from the Statistical First Release (SFR 27/2007) entitled 'Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2007'. The SFR is located at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000741/index.shtml and table LAG1 can be found within the second set of Excel tables on the website. The measures that we are taking through the Care Matters White Paper and the Children and Young Persons Bill, such as requiring local authorities to pay a 2,000 bursary to care leavers who undertake a course in higher education and to provide a personal adviser for care leavers in education up to the age of 25, are designed to help them to achieve their full potential.
	Information on the number of children looked after by English local authorities who moved into  (a) children's homes and hostels and  (b) independent living during the year ending 31 March 2007 has been placed in the House of Commons Library (Table 1). Where a child moved into either of the aforementioned placements on more than one occasion during the year, he or she has been counted only once.
	
		
			  Table 1: Children looked after who moved into (a) homes and hostels and (b) independent living during the year ending 31 March 2007( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. ) England 
			  Numbers 
			   Children looked after who moved into homes and hostels during the year( 1, 2, 3)  Children looked after who moved into independent living during the year( 1, 2, 3) 
			 England 5,500 2,700 
			
			  North East 320 60 
			 Darlington 15 0 
			 Durham 50 10 
			 Gateshead 20 (6) 
			 Hartlepool (6) (6) 
			 Middlesbrough 10 (6) 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 60 (6) 
			 North Tyneside 30 (6) 
			 Northumberland 30 (6) 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 5 (6) 
			 South Tyneside 25 5 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 15 10 
			 Sunderland 55 10 
			
			  North West 1,030 380 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 20 5 
			 Blackpool 30 10 
			 Bolton 40 10 
			 Bury 5 10 
			 Cheshire 50 20 
			 Cumbria 20 10 
			 Halton 10 (6) 
			 Knowsley 25 10 
			 Lancashire 120 35 
			 Liverpool 65 15 
			 Manchester 195 125 
			 Oldham 50 (6) 
			 Rochdale 40 10 
			 Salford 55 25 
			 Sefton 70 (6) 
			 St. Helens 20 (6) 
			 Stockport 50 15 
			 Tameside 30 20 
			 Trafford 25 (6) 
			 Warrington 15 5 
			 Wigan 40 15 
			 Wirral 55 25 
			
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 620 300 
			 Barnsley 20 5 
			 Bradford 80 35 
			 Calderdale 40 (6) 
			 Doncaster 65 10 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 55 (6) 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 50 20 
			 Kirklees 30 10 
			 Leeds 55 85 
			 North East Lincolnshire 20 (6) 
			 North Lincolnshire 25 5 
			 North Yorkshire 35 10 
			 Rotherham 30 10 
			 Sheffield 65 85 
			 Wakefield 35 15 
			 York 20 (6) 
			
			  East Midlands 350 180 
			 Derby 45 5 
			 Derbyshire 50 25 
			 Leicester 30 10 
			 Leicestershire 45 15 
			 Lincolnshire 40 25 
			 Northamptonshire 55 45 
			 Nottingham 65 40 
			 Nottinghamshire 15 15 
			 Rutland 0 0 
			
			  West Midlands 760 180 
			 Birmingham 230 55 
			 Coventry 40 20 
			 Dudley 40 (6) 
			 Herefordshire 15 (6) 
			 Sandwell 45 10 
			 Shropshire 30 15 
			 Solihull 5 (6) 
			 Staffordshire 100 10 
			 Stoke-On-Trent 70 10 
			 Telford and Wrekin 35 (6) 
			 Walsall 35 10 
			 Warwickshire 10 10 
			 Wolverhampton 45 15 
			 Worcestershire 50 10 
			
			  East of England 370 230 
			 Bedfordshire 30 15 
			 Cambridgeshire 40 35 
			 Essex 90 60 
			 Hertfordshire 70 30 
			 Luton 35 10 
			 Norfolk 50 10 
			 Peterborough 15 10 
			 Southend-on-Sea 10 25 
			 Suffolk 20 30 
			 Thurrock 10 5 
			
			  London 1,100 870 
			  Inner London 490 360 
			 Camden 35 15 
			 City of London (6) 10 
			 Hackney 30 30 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 20 15 
			 Haringey 55 20 
			 Islington 30 20 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 20 20 
			 Lambeth 40 15 
			 Lewisham 50 20 
			 Newham 40 65 
			 Southwark 50 70 
			 Tower Hamlets 45 30 
			 Wandsworth 40 5 
			 Westminster 30 20 
			
			  Outer London 610 520 
			 Barking and Dagenham 15 55 
			 Barnet 25 20 
			 Bexley (6) 25 
			 Brent 40 (6) 
			 Bromley 30 10 
			 Croydon 145 60 
			 Ealing 40 35 
			 Enfield 20 25 
			 Greenwich 60 60 
			 Harrow 15 20 
			 Havering 5 5 
			 Hillingdon 100 160 
			 Hounslow 25 (6) 
			 Kingston upon Thames 10 10 
			 Merton (6) 0 
			 Redbridge 30 (6) 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 10 (6) 
			 Sutton 10 15 
			 Waltham Forest 15 (6) 
			
			  South East 570 300 
			 Bracknell Forest 10 (6) 
			 Brighton and Hove 20 20 
			 Buckinghamshire 35 15 
			 East Sussex 30 (6) 
			 Hampshire 105 25 
			 Isle Of Wight 5 10 
			 Kent 100 5 
			 Medway Towns 5 5 
			 Milton Keynes 25 20 
			 Oxfordshire 35 45 
			 Portsmouth 20 10 
			 Reading 10 15 
			 Slough 10 5 
			 Southampton 35 15 
			 Surrey 50 70 
			 West Berkshire (6) 10 
			 West Sussex 60 15 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead (6) (6) 
			 Wokingham 10 5 
			
			  South West 410 190 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 10 (6) 
			 Bournemouth 5 (6) 
			 Bristol, City of 45 10 
			 Cornwall 60 25 
			 Devon 60 15 
			 Dorset 10 25 
			 Gloucestershire 45 15 
			 Isles Of Scilly 0 0 
			 North Somerset (6) (6) 
			 Plymouth 15 15 
			 Poole (6) 10 
			 Somerset 85 20 
			 South Gloucestershire (6) (6) 
			 Swindon (6) 25 
			 Torbay 20 10 
			 Wiltshire 30 15 
			 (1 )Source: SSDA903 return on children looked after. (2) Children looked after at any time during the year ending 31 March. (3) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (4 )To ensure that no individual can be identified from statistical tables, we use conventions for the rounding and suppression of very small numbers. All numbers which appear in the national summary tables have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. Numbers from one to five inclusive have been suppressed, being replaced in the table by a (6). At local council level the England totals have been rounded either to the nearest 10, or the nearest 100 following the rule outlined above. Regional totals and totals for the number of children placed outside England have been rounded to the nearest 10. All other numbers have been rounded to the nearest five, and numbers from one to five inclusive have been suppressed, being replaced in the published table by a (6). (5 )Where a child has moved into  (a) a home or hostel or  (b) independent living on more than one occasion during the year, he or she has been counted only once. (6 )Numbers from one to five.

Children in Care: Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which maintained schools did not give priority to children in care in their 2007-08 admission arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We do not collect that data centrally. However, we recently carried out an analysis of the 2008-09 admission arrangements adopted by schools in three local authority areasBarnet, Manchester and Nottinghamshirewhich showed that although a large majority complied with the school admissions code and admissions legislation, a significant minority of schools appeared to have adopted unlawful arrangements.
	The Secretary of State made a statement to Parliament on 2 April on measures being taken to improve the admissions system, which also included details about the evidence gathered, which showed that 58 out of 570 schools across the three local authority areas failed to give children in care the unequivocal highest priority in school admission arrangements as required by law. This information is available in the House Library:

Children: Dyslexia

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of the reading recovery initiative for dyslexic children;
	(2)  what provision has been made for teaching dyslexic children within his Department's  (a) Every Child a Reader,  (b) Every Child a Writer and  (c) Every Child Counts initiatives.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 25 April 2008
	Evaluations of the Every Child a Reader pilotwhich provides Reading Recovery for children from among those having the most difficulties in learning to readwere published in 2006 and 2007. These are available on
	www.everychildareader.org.uk.
	The evaluation of Every Child a Reader in London in 2005/06 showed that 87 per cent. of children who had received Reading Recovery were considered to have made average to exceptional progress in reading comprehension. However, these evaluations did not include looking at the efficacy of Reading Recovery for children with dyslexia.
	Our commitment through the primary and secondary national strategies is to ensure Quality First teaching for all. The Every Child a Reader and Every Child Counts initiatives are focused on providing additional intervention for the 5 per cent. of children facing the most difficulties with reading and mathematics. They do not provide a specific focus on provision for children with dyslexia. Every Child a Reader is being rolled out to reach 30,000 children a year by 2010/11.
	Every Child Counts is currently in a research phase and will be informed by the Williams review of the teaching of mathematics which is due to be published in June this year. The intention is that Every Child Counts will be aimed at children whose attainment in the early stages of mathematics shows they are not making expected progress for their age.
	Every Child a Writer is a new programme announced at the end of last year. The intentionas stated in our Children's Planis that this will offer support later in primary school than Every Child a Reader and Every Child Counts and will reach a greater number of pupils. Further announcements will be made about Every Child a Writer in due course.
	The SEN Code of Practice says that effective management, school ethos and the learning environment, curricular, pastoral and discipline arrangements can help prevent some special educational needs arising, and minimise others (paragraph 5:18). Where whole school arrangements for teaching and learning are not addressing a child's learning difficulties, schools have a statutory duty to do their best to ensure that the necessary provision is made for any pupil who has special educational needs. It follows that if a child with dyslexia is not benefiting from participation in any or all of the three initiatives, the school must make additional or different arrangements to address the child's special educational needs.

Departmental Operating Costs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2008,  Official Report, column 183W, on operating costs, what the administrative costs of his Department's predecessor were in each year from 1990-91 to 2006-07 in real terms using 2005-06 prices.

Edward Balls: The administrative costs from 1990-91 to 2006-07 for the Departments which preceded the Department for Children, Schools and Families, adjusted to 2005-06 prices using the latest GDP deflators, are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Total net admin costs ( million) 
			  Department for Education  
			 1990-91 127 
			 1991-92 133 
			 1992-93 128 
			 1993-94 114 
			   
			  Department for Education and Employment  
			 1994-95 389 
			 1995-96 357 
			 1996-97 333 
			 1997-98 289 
			 1998-99 283 
			 1999-2000 286 
			 2000-01 266 
			   
			  Department for Education and Skills  
			 2001-02 261 
			 2002-03 242 
			 2003-04 250 
			 2004-05 264 
			 2005-06 240 
			 2006-07 237

Departmental Publications

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many guidance notes to  (a) schools and  (b) local authorities have been issued by his Department, its predecessors and its agencies in each (i) year, (ii) quarter and (iii) month since 1 January 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The number of documents sent to all primary and secondary schools is detailed in the table attached at Annex A. Where a document has been sent to both primary and secondary schools it will appear in the totals for both. The Department stopped sending regular paper mailings to schools in December 2004, replacing them with a regular fortnightly e-mail which allows schools to order the required numbers of documents at their discretion.
	The guidance notes issued to local authorities are generally intended to help front-line staff to understand and implement their statutory duties effectively and improve outcomes for children, young people and families. The data available for this year and last are set out at Annex B.
	Statistical data on the numbers issued is not normally collected and the cost would be prohibitive to supply figures for every guidance note we have issued for the 10-year period requested.
	
		
			  Annex A: (a) guidance notes issued to schools 
			   Primary  Secondary 
			 1997-98 86 85 
			 1998-99 96 115 
			 1999-2000 146 164 
			 2000-01 47 48 
			 2001-02 55 54 
			 2002-03 39 43 
			 2003-04 31 38 
			 2004-05 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Annex B: (b) guidance notes issued to local authorities 
			   2008  2007 
			 January 7 3 
			 February 9 2 
			 March 7 9 
			  1( st)  quarter 23 14 
			
			 April 4 7 
			 May  7 
			 June  1 
			  2( nd)  quarter  15 
			
			 July  7 
			 August  4 
			 September  11 
			  3( rd)  quarter  22 
			
			 October  5 
			 November  9 
			 December  9 
			  4( th)  quarter  23 
			
			 Total 27 74

Departmental Sick Leave

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many working days were lost by his Department owing to stress-related illness in each of the last 24 months.

Kevin Brennan: The percentage of working days lost owing to sickness absence in 1 July to 31 December was 15 per cent. of all working days. The recorded total of working days lost was 1,583 compared to 10,404 working days lost for all sickness absences, and 680 days were lost in the latest quarter (1 January to 31 March 2008). Sickness absence information is collected quarterly in my Department, but monthly information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department has introduced a range of measures to support managers and employees on health and wellbeing issues, including the provision of professional counselling and support from the Department's Employee Assistance Provider, Right Corecare. The Department has piloted a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Stress Questionnaire in one part of the organisation and conducted Individual Stress Risk Assessments for employees who require them. It will shortly be launching a comprehensive Stress Prevention Policy, based on HSE Management Standards.

Departmental Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what targets apply to his Department's performance in 2008; which targets have been  (a) dropped and  (b) amended since January 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The DCSF was responsible for 12 public service agreements (PSAs) from the 2004 spending review, which ended in 2007-08. Over the 2007 comprehensive spending review period, which runs from 2008-09 to 2010-11, my Department has six departmental strategic objectives (DSOs) and leads five cross-governmental PSAs. Details are available on the HM Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/3/9/pbr_csr07_ annexd1_189.pdf
	and on the DCSF website at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/dsoindicators/
	The 12 PSA targets over the 2004 spending review period, which ended in 2008, were underpinned by 20 indicators. Of these, 11 indicators underpin the five PSAs which the DCSF leads over the 2007 comprehensive spending review period. The remaining indicators underpin DSOs or, in the case of PE and school sport, a PSA led by another Department. Full details of the transition will be set out in the forthcoming DCSF departmental report, a copy of which will be placed in the House Library.

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the education maintenance allowance is available to children aged younger than 16 who have taken their GCSEs early and are in further education; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Young people who are of compulsory school age when taking up further education are not eligible for education maintenance allowance (EMA) on the grounds of their age. EMA is not based on the academic level a pupil reaches. It is targeted at those who reach the end of their compulsory school phase and who have the option of dropping out of learning.
	The purpose of EMA is to remove barriers to learning, and increase participation and retention rates among learners who can legally leave education. Therefore, EMA is not available to learners who by law must remain in education.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what forecast he has made of his Department's expenditure on education maintenance allowance over the next 10 years.

Jim Knight: The forecast expenditure for education maintenance allowance over the comprehensive spending review (CSR) period is 531 million/544 million/560 million in financial years 2008-09/2009-10/2010-11. Forecasts of expenditure beyond this period are not available.

Education: Assessments

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much schools spent on re-marking  (a) GCSE,  (b) A and AS level and  (c) key stage 3 SAT papers in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006 and (iii) 2007.

Jim Knight: The fees for re-marking of national curriculum tests are published by the NAA (National Assessment Agency) test operations agency each year and can be found on the Qualification and Curriculum Authority's website at http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_11997.aspx The NAA does not keep specific information on how much schools paid to the test operations agency for re-marking key stage 3 test papers via the review process.
	The Department does not collect information on re-marking costs for GCSE, A and AS-level papers. The data could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the average annual cost to schools of delivering  (a) Key Stage 1, 2 and 3 national tests,  (b) GCSEs and  (c) A-Levels and AS-Levels; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority estimates the costs of delivering the national tests for Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 in 2007/08 to be some 51 million. This is the cost of the delivery contracts for tests. Schools do not pay fees for tests.
	GCSEs, and AS and A-Levels are administered by independent awarding bodies. The costs incurred by all local authority maintained schools for test administration and examination entry fees and any accreditation costs related to pupils taking GCSEs, GNVQs, AS and A2 qualifications in 2006-07, which is the most recent year for which figures are available, totalled some 241 million.
	The new independent qualifications regulator, Ofqual, will be responsible for regulating the awarding body market to ensure good value for money alongside its responsibilities for maintaining standards. Subject to legislation, we intend that Ofqual will report annually to Parliament on this issue.

Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children attained  (a) Level 1,  (b) Level 2,  (c) Level 3,  (d) Level 4 and  (e) Level 5 in (i) Key Stage 1 and (ii) Key Stage 2 tests in each year since those tests were introduced; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to the following links. The link
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000740/index.shtml
	is for Statistical First Release National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 1 in England 2007. Table 2 provides time series information (2001-2007) on average point scores and table 3 provides information about levels achieved by pupils assessed in 2007. The link
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000764/index.shtml
	is for National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2 in England, 2007 (Revised). Table 1 provides time series information (1995-2007) about test levels achieved by pupils. Copies of these publications have been placed in the Library of the House.
	Further information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Education: Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent estimate is of education spending in England as a proportion of gross domestic product, expressed to two decimal places, in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Education spend as a proportion of GDP is available only for the UK. The Government will increase UK spending in education as a proportion of GDP from 4.68 per cent. in 1996-97 to 5.55 per cent. in 2008-09 and 2009-10 respectively. The full run of figures from 1996-97 to 2010-11 is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Total Government UK education spend as a proportion of GDP 
			   Percentage 
			 1996-97 4.68 
			 1997-98 4.51 
			 1998-99 4.43 
			 1999-2000 4.40 
			 2000-01 4.58 
			 2001-02 4.89 
			 2002-03 4.90 
			 2003-04 5.14 
			 2004-05 5.23 
			 2005-06 5.37 
			 2006-07 5.40 
			 2007-08 5.53 
			 2008-09 5.55 
			 2009-10 5.55 
			 2010-11 5.64

Educational Psychology: Manpower

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent educational psychologists each children's services local authority in England employed at the latest date for which a figure is available;
	(2)  how many children and young people aged under 20 years old there are per educational psychologist in each children's services local authority in England at the latest date for which figures are available;
	(3)  if he will consider issuing guidance to children's services in local authorities in England on the number of educational psychologists who should be employed in each local authority; and if he will make a statement on ensuring an adequate supply of qualified educational psychologists.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of educational psychologists (EPs) and the number of children per EP employed in local authority maintained schools in each local authority in England in January 2007.
	Some local authorities may purchase EP services from other authorities and therefore do not show any EPs in service.
	EPs are a key means of supporting some of our most vulnerable children and young people. They play an important role both in assessing individual children's special educational needs and in helping schools to address those needs and behavioural, emotional and social issues.
	EPs are employed by local authorities, and it is for those authorities to determine how many to employ in the light of their assessment of local needs and available resources.
	It is clearly important that there should be a secure supply of trained EPs to match predicted vacancies. We have asked the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) to act as an intermediary body to oversee subscription arrangements for local authority funding of EP entry training, which replace the previous topslice funding. The CWDC has written to local authorities requesting subscriptions to the 2008 entry training fund, and my noble Friend the Lord Adoins, the Under-Secretary of State responsible for schools and learners, has also written to local authority chief executive officers and directors of children's services emphasising the importance of authorities' supporting training arrangements.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent educational psychologists employed in each local authority in England, January 2007 
			   FTE educational psychologists  Number of children per educational psychologists( 1) 
			 City of London (2) (2) 
			 Camden 14 3,180 
			 Greenwich 16 3,710 
			 Hackney 15 3,700 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 11 3,190 
			 Islington 14 2,840 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 6 5,590 
			 Lambeth 15 3,930 
			 Lewisham 11 5,680 
			 Southwark 17 3,660 
			 Tower Hamlets 15 3,630 
			 Wandsworth 12 4,220 
			 City of Westminster 9 4,470 
			 Barking and Dagenham 14 3,410 
			 Barnet 14 5,840 
			 Bexley 10 5,910 
			 Brent 13 4,850 
			 Bromley 13 5,630 
			 Croydon 14 6,340 
			 Ealing 18 4,010 
			 Enfield 18 4,070 
			 Haringey 13 4,310 
			 Harrow 10 5,380 
			 Havering 10 5,630 
			 Hillingdon 10 6,310 
			 Hounslow 12 4,340 
			 Kingston upon Thames 11 3,380 
			 Merton 10 4,410 
			 Newham 12 5,930 
			 Redbridge 10 6,440 
			 Richmond upon Thames 5 8,230 
			 Sutton 8 5,670 
			 Waltham Forest 12 4,820 
			 Birmingham 47 6,070 
			 Coventry 13 6,190 
			 Dudley 11 6,890 
			 Sandwell 15 5,000 
			 Solihull 12 4,400 
			 Walsall 12 5,610 
			 Wolverhampton 21 2,900 
			 Knowsley 7 5,800 
			 Liverpool 15 7,000 
			 St. Helens 9 5,180 
			 Sefton 14 4,880 
			 Wirral 13 6,100 
			 Bolton 10 7,210 
			 Bury 8 6,220 
			 Manchester 20 5,620 
			 Oldham 10 6,250 
			 Rochdale 8 7,010 
			 Salford 13 4,200 
			 Stockport 15 4,700 
			 Tameside 12 4,440 
			 Trafford 9 6,110 
			 Wigan 12 6,150 
			 Barnsley (2) (2) 
			 Doncaster 9 8,520 
			 Rotherham 8 7,650 
			 Sheffield 19 6,740 
			 Bradford 17 8,080 
			 Calderdale 6 8,010 
			 Kirklees 26 4,110 
			 Leeds 29 6,160 
			 Wakefield 12 6,680 
			 Gateshead 11 4,170 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 12 5,370 
			 North Tyneside 10 4,630 
			 South Tyneside 15 2,460 
			 Sunderland 10 6,480 
			 Isles of Scilly (2) (2) 
			 Bath and North East Somerset (2) (2) 
			 City of Bristol 26 3,610 
			 North Somerset 8 5,860 
			 South Gloucestershire 13 5,020 
			 Hartlepool 5 4,760 
			 Middlesbrough 6 6,230 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 6 5,710 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 9 5,290 
			 City of Kingston Upon Hull 12 5,300 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 22 3,490 
			 North East Lincolnshire 8 4,910 
			 North Lincolnshire 7 5,490 
			 North Yorkshire 16 8,750 
			 York 7 5,790 
			 Bedfordshire 15 6,780 
			 Luton 7 7,080 
			 Buckinghamshire 24 5,220 
			 Milton Keynes 13 4,550 
			 Derbyshire 27 6,630 
			 City of Derby 12 4,800 
			 Dorset 17 5,300 
			 Poole 7 4,860 
			 Bournemouth 9 3,940 
			 Durham 24 4,870 
			 Darlington 5 5,000 
			 East Sussex 18 6,490 
			 Brighton and Hove 8 6,600 
			 Hampshire 52 5,960 
			 Portsmouth 7 6,670 
			 Southampton 14 3,730 
			 Leicestershire 22 7,040 
			 Leicester City 24 3,310 
			 Rutland (2) (2) 
			 Staffordshire 31 6,290 
			 Stoke on Trent 13 4,500 
			 Wiltshire 24 4,740 
			 Swindon 9 4,960 
			 Bracknell Forest 5 6,460 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 8 4,660 
			 West Berkshire 9 4,320 
			 Reading 5 6,270 
			 Slough 9 3,430 
			 Wokingham 7 5,750 
			 Cambridgeshire 19 7,500 
			 Peterborough 8 5,350 
			 Cheshire 24 6,920 
			 Halton 6 5,210 
			 Warrington 9 5,310 
			 Devon 35 4,710 
			 Plymouth (2) (2) 
			 Torbay (2) (2) 
			 Essex 45 7,340 
			 Southend on Sea 7 5,510 
			 Thurrock 6 6,590 
			 Herefordshire 8 4,960 
			 Worcestershire 28 4,600 
			 Kent 47 7,280 
			 Medway 9 7,880 
			 Lancashire 45 6,410 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 12 3,690 
			 Blackpool 6 6,130 
			 Nottinghamshire 26 6,920 
			 Nottingham 14 4,910 
			 Shropshire (2) (2) 
			 Telford and Wrekin 16 2,790 
			 Cornwall 21 5,730 
			 Cumbria 20 5,640 
			 Gloucestershire 22 6,300 
			 Hertfordshire 42 6,430 
			 Isle of Wight 5 6,110 
			 Lincolnshire 21 7,390 
			 Norfolk 26 7,130 
			 Northamptonshire 28 6,000 
			 Northumberland 14 5,180 
			 Oxfordshire 25 6,180 
			 Somerset 29 4,340 
			 Suffolk 20 8,550 
			 Surrey 41 6,420 
			 Warwickshire 22 5,580 
			 West Sussex 2,180 5,660 
			
			 England 2,180 5,660 
			 (1 )Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  (2) Fewer than 5.   Note:  Barnsley, Isle of Scilly, Bath and North East Somerset, Rutland, Plymouth and Shropshire do not directly employ educational psychologists therefore no ratio is available for these authorities.   Source:  The annual survey of Teachers in Service and Teacher Vacancies, 618g. DCSF estimates (number of children).

Electronic Government

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether mechanisms are in place to monitor the extent to which his Department's  (a) internal and  (b) external (i) correspondence and (ii) distribution of publications is carried out electronically.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) Internally (i) all correspondence is carried out electronically and (ii) distribution of publications is monitored by exception, as all publishing is online barring the bi-monthly staff magazine.  (b) (i) Most external correspondence received in the Department is processed through the central Public Communications Unit, which monitors the method of response. In 2007 63 per cent. of correspondence was replied to electronically.  (b) (ii) The Department has put in place a range of protocols which govern e-mail communications to key stakeholders including all schools all local authorities.

Extended Schools: Costs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of delivering the extended schools programme in each year from 2007-08 to 2012-13.

Beverley Hughes: From 2007-08 local authorities were given 238 million to support the development of extended schools in their area. In 2008-09 to 2010-11 a total of 1.3 billion of funding will be made available. Schools are also given an additional 150 million each year through the schools standards grant which can support extended schools activities.
	During 2007-08, a total of 9.7 million was split across the three national extended schools delivery partners to help schools and local authorities to deliver extended services. For 2008-09, a total of 9.9 million will be made available. We cannot estimate the costs from 2009 onwards, as the allocation of funding for the delivery partners is completed on an annual basis.

Faith Schools

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary faith schools there were in England in each year from 1997, broken down by faith; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to the following link
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000744/index.shtml
	to Statistical First Release Schools and Pupils in England: January 2007 (Final). Table 8 gives the information requested for the most recent year; figures for earlier years are available in equivalent publications for those years.
	The earliest year for which this information is available electronically is 1998. Figures for this year can be found in volume 'Schools in England 1998', which is available via the following link:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000130/index.shtml
	Copies of these publications are available in the Libraries of the House. Further information can be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Folkestone Academy: Pupil Exclusions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were  (a) permanently and  (b) temporarily excluded from Folkestone Academy in each month since September 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: Folkestone Academy did not open until September 2007 and therefore information on the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions is not yet available.
	Information on exclusions from schools is derived from School Census returns made by schools to the Department. Data on exclusions are collected two terms in arrears, with exclusions data for autumn term 2007 being returned via the May 2008 Census.

Foundation Schools

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have  (a) applied for and  (b) been granted (i) trust and (ii) foundation status in each (A) month and (B) quarter since 1 January 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Schools do not have to apply to the Department for Children, Schools and Families to become a trust or foundation school. A change of school category to foundation and the acquisition of a trust are 'prescribed alterations'. To make such a prescribed alteration the governing body must publish statutory proposals in accordance with provisions are set out in the Education and Inspections Act 2006 and regulations made under that Act. Since 25 May 2007 proposals are decided by the governing body (or the Schools Adjudicator where proposals to acquire a trust have been referred by the local authority). There is no role for Ministers in the decision-making process.
	To date 57 schools have acquired a trust under the provisions of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. 108 schools have changed category to foundation since January 2005. These are broken down by month and quarter as follows.
	
		
			   Foundation schools  Trust schools 
			  Year/month  Published( 1)  Approved( 1)  Acquired 
			  2005
			 January
			 February
			 March 1 1  
			 Quarterly total 1 1  
			 
			 April
			 May
			 June 1 1  
			 Quarterly total 1 1  
			 
			 July 1 1  
			 August
			 September
			 Quarterly total 1 1  
			 
			 October 3 3  
			 November 4 4  
			 December 1 1  
			 Quarterly total 8 8  
			 
			  2006
			 January 8 8  
			 February 3 3  
			 March 2 2  
			 Quarterly total 13 13  
			 
			 April 4 4  
			 May 2 2  
			 June 4 4  
			 Quarterly total 10 10  
			 
			 July 4 4  
			 August
			 September 6 6  
			 Quarterly total 10 10  
			 
			 October 4 4  
			 November 2 2  
			 December 1 1  
			 Quarterly total 7 7  
			 
			  2007
			 January 5 5  
			 February 4 4  
			 March 4 4  
			 Quarterly total 13 13  
			 
			 April 2 2  
			 May 3 3  
			 June 5 5  
			 Quarterly total 10 10  
			 
			 July
			 August 1 1 1 
			 September 3 3 29 
			 Quarterly total 4 4 30 
			 
			 October 3 3  
			 November 9 8 1 
			 December 5 5 1 
			 Quarterly total 17 16 2 
			 
			  2008
			 January 10 8 5 
			 February 9 6 1 
			 March 5  5 
			 Quarterly total 24 14 11 
			 
			 April 4  14 
			 (1) Prior to 25 May 2007, proposals to change category to foundation were decided either by the Schools Organisation Committee or the school's governing body in accordance with the statutory provisions that applied at the time. 
		
	
	In addition to the schools included in the aforementioned table, 19 schools have published proposals to change category to foundation and acquire a foundationthe Department is awaiting confirmation that these particular foundations have been established.
	Acquiring a trust or foundation is a way for a range of schools in different circumstances to raise standards, from those that are currently under-performing to those that are leading the way in the education sector as a whole. Trusts are a way for schools to strengthen collaboration and spread best practice among other schools, drawing on the expertise and energy of their partners to support their strategic leadership.
	385 schools are on the Trust and Foundation Schools Support programme where they have access to advice and guidance on the processes associated with acquiring a trust and/or foundation.

Free School Meals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals who do not take up their entitlement; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The requested information is not available.
	We do not collect information on the number of pupils who may be eligible for free school meals but do not register as eligible.

GCE A-level

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of eligible pupils were entered for an A-level examination in 2007, broken down by  (a) local authority area and  (b) multiple deprivation decile.

Jim Knight: Information on pupils entered into GCE/VCE/applied A-levels and double awards broken down by multiple deprivation decile can be found in the DCSF: GCE/VCE A/AS and Equivalent Examination Results in England, 2006/07 (Revised) statistical first release (SFR), found at the following link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000769/index.shtml
	Information broken down by local authority is given as follows. The proportion of eligible pupils can not be provided as DCSF does not hold information on the number of eligible pupils at A-level.
	
		
			  Number of pupils entered for a GCE/VCE A-level in 2006/07 
			Number 
			 201 City of London 186 
			 202 Camden 1,164 
			 203 Greenwich 821 
			 204 Hackney 324 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,071 
			 206 Islington 589 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 1,112 
			 208 Lambeth 340 
			 209 Lewisham 1,162 
			 210 Southwark 849 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 592 
			 212 Wandsworth 1,251 
			 213 Westminster 1,438 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 503 
			 302 Barnet 2,823 
			 303 Bexley 1,116 
			 304 Brent 1,127 
			 305 Bromley 2,298 
			 306 Croydon 1,800 
			 307 Ealing 1,101 
			 308 Enfield 1,473 
			 309 Haringey 724 
			 310 Harrow 1,470 
			 311 Havering 1,352 
			 312 Hillingdon 1,437 
			 313 Hounslow 1,281 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 1,376 
			 315 Merton 455 
			 316 Newham 744 
			 317 Redbridge 2,055 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 1,515 
			 319 Sutton 1,628 
			 320 Waltham Forest 1,350 
			 330 Birmingham 4,556 
			 331 Coventry 1,380 
			 332 Dudley 1,696 
			 333 Sandwell 384 
			 334 Solihull 1,454 
			 335 Walsall 1,014 
			 336 Wolverhampton 1,159 
			 340 Knowsley 228 
			 341 Liverpool 1,806 
			 342 St. Helens 917 
			 343 Sefton 1,754 
			 344 Wirral 1,945 
			 350 Bolton 1,199 
			 351 Bury 1,392 
			 352 Manchester 2,376 
			 353 Oldham 1,305 
			 354 Rochdale 325 
			 355 Salford 637 
			 356 Stockport 1,736 
			 357 Tameside 729 
			 358 Trafford 996 
			 359 Wigan 1,487 
			 370 Barnsley 422 
			 371 Doncaster 1,044 
			 372 Rotherham 1,246 
			 373 Sheffield 1,985 
			 380 Bradford 1,924 
			 381 Calderdale 867 
			 382 Kirklees 1,935 
			 383 Leeds 3,156 
			 384 Wakefield 1,387 
			 390 Gateshead 640 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,436 
			 392 North Tyneside 811 
			 393 South Tyneside 363 
			 394 Sunderland 777 
			 800 Bath and North East Somerset 1,182 
			 801 City of Bristol 2,026 
			 802 North Somerset 756 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 1,094 
			 805 Hartlepool 334 
			 806 Middlesbrough 555 
			 807 Redcar and Cleveland 590 
			 808 Stockton on Tees 840 
			 810 City of Kingston-upon-Hull 1,001 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 1,324 
			 812 North East Lincolnshire 688 
			 813 North Lincolnshire 858 
			 815 North Yorkshire 3,632 
			 816 York 1,056 
			 820 Bedfordshire 2,380 
			 821 Luton 726 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 3,411 
			 826 Milton Keynes 958 
			 830 Derbyshire 2,845 
			 831 City of Derby 946 
			 835 Dorset 2,192 
			 836 Poole 977 
			 837 Bournemouth 519 
			 840 Durham 1,579 
			 841 Darlington 803 
			 845 East Sussex 2,488 
			 846 Brighton and Hove 1,878 
			 850 Hampshire 8,774 
			 851 Portsmouth 387 
			 852 Southampton 771 
			 855 Leicestershire 3,586 
			 856 Leicester City 1,630 
			 857 Rutland 296 
			 860 Staffordshire 3,591 
			 861 Stoke-on-Trent 814 
			 865 Wiltshire 2,243 
			 866 Swindon 745 
			 867 Bracknell Forest 631 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,093 
			 869 West Berkshire 1,277 
			 870 Reading 606 
			 871 Slough 644 
			 872 Wokingham 943 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 3,503 
			 874 Peterborough 812 
			 875 Cheshire 3,892 
			 876 Halton 431 
			 877 Warrington 885 
			 878 Devon 3,424 
			 879 Plymouth 1,101 
			 880 Torbay 693 
			 881 Essex 6,282 
			 882 Southend 885 
			 883 Thurrock 550 
			 884 Herefordshire 928 
			 885 Worcestershire 3,147 
			 886 Kent 7,608 
			 887 Medway 1,289 
			 888 Lancashire 4,292 
			 889 Blackburn 844 
			 890 Blackpool 728 
			 891 Nottinghamshire 2,939 
			 892 Nottingham City 1,611 
			 893 Shropshire 1,802 
			 894 Telford and Wrekin 811 
			 908 Cornwall 2,143 
			 909 Cumbria 2,497 
			 916 Gloucestershire 3,857 
			 919 Hertfordshire 7,721 
			 921 Isle of Wight 511 
			 925 Lincolnshire 3,243 
			 926 Norfolk 3,397 
			 928 Northamptonshire 3,353 
			 929 Northumberland 1,323 
			 931 Oxfordshire 4,184 
			 933 Somerset 3,162 
			 935 Suffolk 3,267 
			 936 Surrey 7,968 
			 937 Warwickshire 3,029 
			 938 West Sussex 3,886 
			  Total 254,662 
			  Note: Figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August 2006) in all schools and colleges.

GCE A-level

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the performance of  (a) school sixth forms and  (b) sixth form colleges in relation to A-levels; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Level 3 (equivalent to two or more A-levels) is broadly similar, once young people's prior attainment at Level 2 (equivalent to five GCSEs A*-C) is taken into account.
	Internal analysis shows the average Level 3 attainment score per qualification entry for a sixth form college student is around 2 points higher than for a school sixth-form student, with a similar level of prior attainment. Across a three A-level package of qualifications, the average difference in attainment would be around 6 points which is the equivalent of around a third of a grade. While this difference is statistically significant it is small.
	Sixth-form colleges and larger school sixth formseither operating individually or as part of a consortiumdo an outstanding job and are popular with parents and students. We want to encourage more high quality provision of this type, often working in partnership, in order to overcome England's unacceptably low participation rate in education beyond GCSE. Collaboration between schools, and between schools and colleges, will be essential to ensuring that we have a high quality offer for all young people and to support the successful delivery of the 14-19 reform programme.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what proportion of pupils gaining five A* to C GCSEs, including English and mathematics, were awarded five C grades in 2007;
	(2)  what proportion of pupils gaining five A* to C GCSEs, including English and mathematics, were awarded a C grade in both English and mathematics in 2007.

Jim Knight: This information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many otherwise eligible pupils were not entered for any GCSE examinations in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: There were 12,178 (1.88 per cent.) out of a total of 649,159 eligible pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 not entered for any GCSE examinations in the 2006/07 academic year.
	However, only 3,099 (0.48 per cent.) out of a total of 649,159 eligible pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 were not entered for any GCSE or equivalent examinations in the 2006/07 academic year. This includes other qualifications approved for use pre-16 such as NVQs, Key Skills and Entry Level Qualifications.
	Further information on GCSE examination entry and achievement can be found in the Statistical First Release 'GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England 2006/07' available at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000768/index.shtml

General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many year 11 children did not achieve  (a) five A* to C GCSEs and  (b) five A* to C GCSEs, including English and mathematics, in each year from 1997 to 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The available information is in the following table:
	
		
			Percentage who did not achieve  Number of students who did not achieve (thousand) 
			   Total number of pupils( 1)  (thousand)  5+ A*-C grades  5+ A*-C grades  5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics GCSEs  5+ A*-C grades  5+ A*-C grades  5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics GCSEs 
			 15 year olds  
			 1995-96 594 55.5 64.8 330 385 
			 1996-97(2) 587 54.9 64.4 322 378 
			 1997-98 575 53.7 63.0 309 362 
			 1998-99 581 52.1 61.4 303 357 
			 1999-2000 580 50.8 60.0 295 348 
			 2000-01 603 50.0 59.3 302 358 
			 2001-02 607 48.4 57.9 294 351 
			 2002-03 622 47.1 58.1 293 361 
			 2003-04(3) 644 46.3 57.4 298 369 
			 2004-05 637 43.7 55.7 278 355 
			 2005-06 649 41.5 54.7 269 355 
			 2006-07 656 39.2 54.0 257 354 
			  Pupils at End Key Stage 4  
			 2004-05 633 42.9 55.1 272 349 
			 2005-06 646 40.8 54.2 264 350 
			 2006-07 649 38.0 53.3 247 346 
			 1. Number of pupils on roll aged 15 at the start of the academic year or from 2004-05 end of Key Stage 4 figures are the number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in that academic year.  2. Percentages from 1996-97 include GCSEs and GNVQs.  3. Percentages from 2003-04 include GCSEs and other equivalent qualifications approved for use pre-16. 
		
	
	Further information on GCSE examination achievement can be found in the Statistical First Release 'GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England 2006-07' available at:
	http://www.dcsfgov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000768/index.shtml.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what targets he has set for the proportion of pupils achieving  (a) five A* to C GCSEs and  (b) five A* to C GCSEs including English and mathematics by (i) 2010 and (ii) 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The existing suite of Public Service Agreements (PSAs) targets expires this year, and as part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), a new set of PSAs and national targets is to be delivered by 2011. No formal GCSE targets are due for delivery in 2010.
	There are currently no formal targets set for 2020, although the Children's Plan, launched last December, sets out the ambition that by 2020 at least 90 per cent. of young people should achieve the equivalent of five higher GCSEs at age 19.
	In addition, the new PSA targets have a dual focus on ensuring that pupils reach the levels expected for their age in both English and mathematics (threshold targets) and improving the rates of progress made by pupils from ages 5 to 16 (new progression targets) with increased attention to achieving faster progress for underachieving groups such as children in care and minority ethnic pupils.
	The progression targets will be a major factor in helping all pupilsregardless of their background and circumstancesto realise their potential in English and mathematics in particular. By 2011 we want to see a 15 percentage point improvement in the number of pupils making two levels of progress in English and a 13 percentage point improvement in those making two levels of progress in mathematics between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.
	The Key Stage 4 (GCSE) threshold target is for 53 per cent. of pupils to achieve 5A*-C GCSEs (and equivalent), including GCSEs in both English and maths by 2011.
	In the Budget announcement of 12 March 2008, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced new funding to bring forward by a year to 2011 the Government's ambition for no school to have less than 30 per cent. of its pupils achieving 5 A*-C at GCSE, including English and maths. This programme is called the National Challenge.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on pupils' average GCSE grades of moving to modular GCSEs from September 2009; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what proportion of GCSEs will be examined in modular form in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009,  (c) 2010 and  (d) 2011; and what proportion were so examined in 2005.

Jim Knight: It has been open to awarding bodies to propose either linear or modular GCSEs for a considerable time. In 2005 around 27 per cent. of GCSE specifications on which young people were examined were modular. Following changes to GCSE science specifications for first teaching in 2006, around 35 per cent. of specifications are now modular and these will apply to qualifications awarded up to 2010.
	GCSE criteria for all subjects other than English, mathematics, ICT and science were revised in 2007, and the provisions allowing either linear or modular GCSEs remained unchanged. Awarding bodies have recently submitted new GCSE specifications for accreditation for first teaching in September 2009. It is not possible to say what proportion of GCSE specifications examined in 2011 will be in modular form until decisions have been taken on accreditation by Ofqual, the independent regulator of
	qualifications. The outcome of the accreditation process will be made public in the summer.
	It is Ofqual's responsibility, as regulator, to ensure that standards are maintained so that students achieve the appropriate grade based on their knowledge, understanding and skills, regardless of whether the specification they are studying is modular or not. All GCSE specifications require that students undertake at least 40 per cent. of their assessment at the end of the course, and students are only able to retake individual modules of their GCSEs once.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of eligible pupils were not entered for an English, mathematics, science nor foreign language GCSE in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The readily available information is as follows:
	There were 367.2 thousand pupils, approximately 57 per cent. of eligible pupils, who were not entered for English, mathematics, science and a modern language GCSE at the end of Key Stage 4 in the 2006/07 academic year.
	There were 332.7 thousand pupils, approximately 52 per cent. of eligible pupils, who were not entered for English, mathematics, science and a modern language GCSE at the end of Key Stage 4 in the 2005/2006 academic year.
	There were 269.8 thousand pupils, approximately 43 per cent. of eligible pupils, who were not entered for English, mathematics, science and a modern language GCSE at the end of Key Stage 4 in the 2004/05 academic year.
	Further information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The latest information on GCSE examination entry and achievement can be found in the Statistical First Release GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England 2006/07 available at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000768/index.shtml

General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of Key Stage 4 pupils achieved no GCSEs at grade C or higher in each year from 1997 to 2007.

Jim Knight: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			   Percentage of pupils achieving no GCSEs at grade C or higher  Number of pupils achieving no GCSEs at grade C or higher (to the nearest 100) 
			 1996/97 27.8 159,000 
			 1997/98 26.9 150,700 
			 1998/99 27.4 159,200 
			 1999/2000 26.4 153,200 
			 2000/01 26.0 156,900 
			 2001/02 24.8 150,400 
			 2002/03 24.2 150,600 
			 2003/04 24.2 155,700 
			 2004/05 21.5 136,200 
			 2005/06 20.1 129,800 
			 2006/07 17.5 113,600 
			  Note: Figures up to and including 2003/04 are based on 15-year-old pupils (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August). Figures from 2004/05 onwards are based on pupils at the end of Key Stage 4.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  in which local authority areas more than 80 per cent. of secondary schools did not have over 50 per cent. of pupils achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs in 2007, including English and mathematics;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of secondary schools did not have 30 per cent. or more of Key Stage 4 pupils obtaining at least five A* to C GCSEs, including English and mathematics, for each year from 1990 to 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the top 10 schools by  (a) contextual value-added scores and  (b) improved GCSE results over the previous year were in 2007;
	(4)  which 20 local authorities had the highest proportion of secondary school children in schools achieving less than 30 per cent. five A* to C grade at GCSE including English and mathematics in 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  which 20 local authorities had the lowest performance in terms of the change in the proportion of their Key Stage 4 pupils achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs including English and mathematics between 1997 and 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information for the past four years can be obtained from the Achievement and Attainment Tables found in the House of Commons Library. Information for other years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Disadvantaged

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of white British boys eligible for free school meals achieved  (a) no GCSE passes and  (b) fewer than five GCSE passes at grade A* to C including English and mathematics in each year since 1995.

Jim Knight: The available information is in the following table; further information covering earlier years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			Percentage who did not achieve : 
			   Number of white British boys at the end of Key Stage 4 on free school meals  5+ A*-C at GCSE and equivalents  5+ A*-C at GCSE and equivalents including English and mathematics  Any qualification 
			 2004/05 27,356 78.5 87.3 10.7 
			 2005/06 27,908 75.6 86.1 8.9 
			 2006/07 26,893 73.0 85.1 7.5 
			  Note:  1. Figures based on pupil at the end of Key Stage 4 in each academic year.  2. Figures include all qualifications approved for use pre-16.  3. English and mathematics figures included are for GCSE full courses only.

Gifted Children

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether schools are required to inform parents when their children are identified as gifted and talented; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: There is no legal requirement for schools to inform parents when their children are identified as gifted and talented but we strongly encourage all schools to do so as children benefit from the involvement of parents in support for their learning.

Gifted Children: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of spending by his Department on the gifted and talented programme in each year from 2008-09 to 2011-12; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much has been spent on the gifted and talented programme in each year since it was established;
	(3)  how much his Department plans to spend on the gifted and talented programme in each of the next five financial years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department has historically spent between 10-20 million annually on delivering gifted and talented education. Information on the cost of the contracts to deliver the gifted and talented programme is commercial in confidence. Projected figures after 2011 are not available because of the spending review.

Gifted Children: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the funding awarded to schools to support children identified as gifted and talented is ring-fenced; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Primary and secondary schools are together receiving some 1 billion, last financial year and this (i.e. 2006-08), to support personalised education for all pupils, including gifted and talented learners. The proportion of this funding that schools have available for gifted and talented education is decided locally.

Grammar Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children attended grammar schools in each year since 1996; what proportion of the secondary school population this represented in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The requested information is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Grammar schools: Number and percentage of pupils( 1, 2) , position in January each year, 1996 to 2007, England 
			   Grammar schools  All secondary schools 
			   Number of pupils( 1, 2)  Percentage of pupils( 3)  Number of pupils( 1, 2) 
			 1996 127,710 4.2 3,024,750 
			 1997 128,710 4.2 3,056,870 
			 1998 130,320 4.2 3,088,620 
			 1999 140,880 4.5 3,138,090 
			 2000 141,390 4.4 3,198,410 
			 2001 142,340 4.4 3,248,610 
			 2002 146,190 4.5 3,280,250 
			 2003 149,910 4.5 3,328,270 
			 2004 152,610 4.6 3,351,510 
			 2005 154,070 4.6 3,347,680 
			 2006 155,480 4.6 3,344,490 
			 2007 156,800 4.7 3,321,530 
			 (1) Headcount of pupils.  (2) Excludes dually registered pupils.  (3) Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies.  (4) The number of pupils in grammar schools expressed as a percentage of pupils in all secondary schools.   Note:  Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  School Census.

Grammar Schools: Disadvantaged

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what proportion of pupils are entitled to free school meals at each grammar school;
	(2)  what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of grammar school pupils entitled to free school meals; what estimate he has made of the equivalent figure in the local catchment area of each such school; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: A table showing the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in grammar schools is as follows.
	Information about catchment areas of individual grammar schools is not held centrally.
	
		
			  Grammar schools: school meal arrangements: As at January 2007 
			 Full time pupils aged 0 to 15 and part time pupils aged 5 to 15( 1) 
			  Establishment name  URN  LA name  Number of pupils  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 Total grammar schools(2)   112,080 2,490 2.2 
			   
			 The Henrietta Barnett School 101354 Barnet 468 9 1.9 
			 Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet 101358 Barnet 892 19 2.1 
			 St. Michael's Catholic Grammar School 101361 Barnet 479 14 2.9 
			 Bexley Grammar School 101462 Bexley 1.119 43 3.8 
			 Townley Grammar School for Girls 101463 Bexley 1.055 18 1.7 
			 Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School 101466 Bexley 952 11 1.2 
			 Beths Grammar School 101479 Bexley 797 12 1.5 
			 Newstead Wood School for Girls 101671 Bromley 683 8 1.2 
			 St. Olave's and St. Saviour's Grammar School 101676 Bromley 592 (3) (3) 
			 The Latymer School 102055 Enfield 910 23 2.5 
			 The Tiffin Girls' School 102602 Kingston upon Thames 614 9 1.5 
			 Tiffin School 102605 Kingston upon Thames 719 15 2.1 
			 Ilford County High School 102850 Redbridge 597 30 5 
			 Woodford County High School 102852 Redbridge 600 19 3.2 
			 Wilson's School 103007 Sutton 727 7 1 
			 Nonsuch High School for Girls 103008 Sutton 901 8 0.9 
			 Sutton Grammar School for Boys 103011 Sutton 603 16 2.7 
			 Wallington High School for Girl 103012 Sutton 906 16 1.8 
			 Wallington County Grammar School 103014 Sutton 620 12 1.9 
			 Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls 103521 Birmingham 755 12 1.6 
			 Bishop Vesey's Grammar School 103535 Birmingham 611 18 2.9 
			 Handsworth Grammar School 103549 Birmingham 702 119 17 
			 King Edward VI Handsworth School 103551 Birmingham 687 33 4.8 
			 King Edward VI Five Ways School 103552 Birmingham 770 20 2.6 
			 King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls 103553 Birmingham 623 20 32 
			 King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys 103554 Birmingham 491 19 3.9 
			 King Edward VI Aston School 103555 Birmingham 518 34 6.6 
			 Queen Mary's High School 104261 Walsall 476 13 2.7 
			 Queen Mary's Grammar School 104262 Walsall 481 14 29 
			 Wolverhampton Girls' High School 104402 Wolverhampton 534 5 0.9 
			 The Blue Coat School 104704 Liverpool 608 22 3.6 
			 Wirral Grammar School for Girls 105098 Wirral 778 34 4.4 
			 West Kirby Grammar School 105099 Wirral 887 22 2.5 
			 Calday Grange Grammar School 105112 Wirral 923 26 2.8 
			 Wirral Grammar School for Boys 105113 Wirral 750 31 4.1 
			 St. Anselm's College 105114 Wirral 646 63 9.8 
			 Upton Hall School FCJ 105115 Wirral 688 46 6.7 
			 Altrincham Grammar School for Boys 106361 Trafford 821 10 1.2 
			 Altnncham Grammar School for Girls 106362 Trafford 911 10 1.1 
			 Stretford Grammar School 106368 Trafford 521 57 109 
			 Urmston Grammar School 106369 Trafford 632 7 1.1 
			 Sale Grammar School 106371 Trafford 910 17 1.9 
			 Loreto Grammar School 106378 Trafford 764 13 1.7 
			 The North Halifax Grammar School 107574 Calderdale 774 12 1.6 
			 The Crossley Heath School 107575 Calderdale 773 10 13 
			 Heckmondwike Grammar School 107785 Kirklees 773 23 (3) 
			 Kendrick Girls' Grammar School 110042 Reading 473 (3) (3) 
			 St. Bernard's Convent School 110084 Slough 636 (3) (3) 
			 Reading School 110097 Reading 608 (3) (3) 
			 Langley Grammar School 110101 Slough 748 17 2.3 
			 Herschel Grammar School 110103 Slough 620 17 2.7 
			 Slough Grammar School 110104 Slough 782 39 5 J 
			 john Hampden Grammar School 110485 Buckinghamshire 692 9 1.3 
			 Burnham Grammar School 110493 Buckinghamshire 625 21 3.4 
			 Aylesbury High School 110494 Buckinghamshire 893 (3) (3) 
			 Dr. Challoner's High School 110495 Buckinghamshire 759 (3) (3) 
			 Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School and Performing Arts College 110496 Buckinghamshire 743 16 22 
			 Chesham High School 110504 Buckinghamshire 892 7 0.8 
			 Aylesbury Grammar School 110511 Buckinghamshire 912 (3) (3) 
			 Royal Latin School 110512 Buckinghamshire 857 9 1.1 
			 Wycombe High School 110513 Buckinghamshire 957 15 1.6 
			 Dr. Challoner's Grammar School 110514 Buckinghamshire 906 (3) (3) 
			 Sir William Boriase's Grammar School 110515 Buckinghamshire 669 (3) (3) 
			 Beaconsfield High School 110528 Buckinghamshire 788 (3) (3) 
			 The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe 110530 Buckinghamshire 965 14 1.5 
			 Queen Elizabeth Grammar School 112428 Cumbria 602 5 0.8 
			 Torquay Grammar School for Girls 113523 Torbay 604 23 3.8 
			 Churston Ferrers Grammar School 113525 Torbay 623 30 4.8 
			 Devonport High School for Boys 113530 Plymouth 852 27 3. 
			 Devonport High School for Girls 2 113531 Plymouth 607 19 3.1 
			 Plymouth High School for Girls 113532 Plymouth 607 13 2.1 
			 Colyton Grammar School 11 3555 Devon 589 (3) (3) 
			 Torquay Boys' Grammar School 113556 Torbay 745 22 3 
			 Bournemouth School 113900 Bournemouth 747 21 2.8 
			 Parkstone Grammar School 113903 Poole 723 15 2.1 
			 Bournemouth School for Girls 113905 Bournemouth 820 23 2.8 
			 Poole Grammar School 113909 Poole 661 14 2.1 
			 Westcliff High School for Boys 115317 Southend-on-Sea 766 12 16 
			 Chelmsford County High School for Girls 115326 Essex 602 (3) (3) 
			 King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford 115327 Essex 561 (3) (3) 
			 Westcliff High School for Girls 115339 Southend-on-Sea 768 19 2.5 
			 Southend High School for Girls 115344 Southend-on-Sea 765 12 1.6 
			 Colchester Royal Grammar School 115359 Essex 491 (3) (3) 
			 Southend High School for Boys 115362 Southend-on-Sea 741 17 2.3 
			 Colchester County High School for Girts 115370 Essex 540 (3) (3) 
			 Sir Thomas Rich's School 115717 Gloucestershire 568 7 1.2 
			 High School for Girls 115718 Gloucestershire 607 6 1 
			 Ribston Hall High School 115751 Gloucestershire 576 17 3 
			 Marling School 115752 Gloucestershire 628 (3) (3) 
			 Stroud High School 115753 Gloucestershire 639 9 1.4 
			 Pate's Grammar School 115754 Gloucestershire 612 (3) (3) 
			 The Crypt School 115755 Gloucestershire 562 10 1.8 
			 Gravesend Grammar School for Girls 118787 Kent 730 14 1.9 
			 Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School 118789 Kent 715 (3) (3) 
			 Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys 118790 Kent 967 8 0.8 
			 Weald of Kent Grammar School 118791 Kent 775 7 0.9 
			 Invicta Grammar School 118792 Kent 907 18 2 
			 Chatham Grammar School for Boys 118797 Medway 684 44 6.4 
			 Fort Pitt Grammar School 118798 Medway 798 20 2.5 
			 Highsted Grammar School 118802 Kent 615 17 28 
			 Highworth Grammar School for Girls 118804 Kent 845 16 1.9 
			 The Harvey Grammar School 118805 Kent 724 27 3.7 
			 Dover Grammar School for Girls 118806 Kent 580 17 2.9 
			 Clarendon House Grammar School 118809 Kent 546 19 3.5 
			 Maidstone Grammar School 118835 Kent 882 10 1.1 
			 Maidstone Grammar School for Girls 118836 Kent 849 12 14 
			 Borden Grammar School 118837 Kent 559 10 1.8 
			 The Norton Knatchbull School 118838 Kent 728 18 2.5 
			 Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School 118839 Medway 811 18 22 
			 Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School 118840 Kent 776 18 2.3 
			 The Judd School 118843 Kent 629 (3) (3) 
			 The Grammar School for Girls Wilmington 118872 Kent 590 12 2 
			 Wilmington Grammar School for Boys 118875 Kent 613 11 1.8 
			 Dartford Grammar School 118878 Kent 796 11 14 
			 Dartford Grammar School for Girls 118883 Kent 745 11 1.5 
			 Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys 118884 Kent 630 15 24 
			 Cranbrook School 118888 Kent 434 (3) (3) 
			 The Skinners' School 118890 Kent 557 (3) (3) 
			 Rainham Mark Grammar School 118892 Medway 877 24 2.7 
			 Oakwood Park Grammar School 118894 Kent 701 12 1 7 
			 Sir Roger Manwood's School 118900 Kent 649 32 49 
			 Chatham Grammar School for Girls 118901 Medway 717 26 3.6 
			 The Folkestone School for Girls 118909 Kent 819 53 6.5 
			 Tonbridge Grammar School 118915 Kent 755 (3) (3) 
			 Barton Court Grammar School 118916 Kent 663 27 4.1 
			 The Rochester Grammar School for Girls 118917 Medway 756 18 24 
			 Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School 118921 Kent 635 16 25 
			 Dover Grammar School for Boys 118931 Kent 540 31 5.7 
			 Dane Court Grammar School 118932 Kent 855 51 6 
			 Chatham House Grammar School for Boys 118934 Kent 554 26 4.7 
			 Gravesend Grammar School 118936 Kent 728 13 1.8 
			 Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School 119809 Lancashire 756 15 2 
			 Lancaster Royal Grammar School 119810 Lancashire 700 12 17 
			 Lancaster Girls' Grammar School 119811 Lancashire 566 11 1.9 
			 Clitheroe Royal Grammar School 119812 Lancashire 613 10 1.6 
			 Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School 120632 Lincolnshire 809 7 0.9 
			 Kesteven and Steaford High School 120633 Lincolnshire 632 9 1.4 
			 Boston High School 120640 Lincolnshire 575 11 1.9 
			 Spalding High School 120642 Lincolnshire 730 8 11 
			 The Queen Elizabeth's High School Gainsborough 120655 Lincolnshire 890 13 1.5 
			 Bourne Grammar School 120661 Lincolnshire 705 3-- 3-- 
			 Spalding Grammar School 120665 Lincolnshire 517 11 1.8 
			 The Skegness Grammar School 120696 Lincolnshire 600 13 2.2 
			 Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School 120697 Lincolnshire 417 19 46 
			 The King's School Grantham 120698 Lincolnshire 694 8 1.2 
			 Carrie's Grammar School 120699 Lincolnshire 543 6 1.1 
			 The King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth 120701 Lincolnshire 603 10 1.7 
			 Caistor Grammar School 120702 Lincolnshire 467 n 3-- 
			 Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School Horncastle 120707 Lincolnshire 602 5 0.8 
			 The Boston Grammar School 120720 Lincolnshire 469 12 2.6 
			 Ripon Grammar School 121694 North Yorkshire 602 9 1.5 
			 Skipton Girls' High School 121712 North Yorkshire 539 (3) (3) 
			 Ermysted's Grammar School 121716 North Yorkshire 522 8 1.5 
			 Newport Girls' High School 123561 Telford and Wrekin 258 (3) (3) 
			 Adams' Grammar School 123593 Telford and Wrekin 540 5 0.9 
			 Stratford-upon-Avon Grammar School for Girls A Specialist Language College 125730 Warwickshire 378 7 1.9 
			 King Edward VI School 125752 Warwickshire 357 5 14 
			 Lawrence Sheriff School 125753 Warwickshire 513 7 1.4 
			 Rugby High School 125769 Warwickshire 472 5 1.1 
			 Alcester Grammar School 125770 Warwickshire 457 (3) (3) 
			 South Wilts Grammar School for Girls 126507 Wiltshire 627 (3) (3) 
			 Bishop Wordsworth's Grammar School 126508 Wiltshire 598 5 0.8 
			 St. Joseph's College 131301 Stoke-on-Trent 623 15 2.4 
			 St. Ambrose College 131315 Trafford 696 6 0.9 
			 (1) Includes pupils with sole and dual (main) registration. (2) Totals for all grammar schools have been rounded to the nearest 10. (3) Less than five pupils, or a rate based on less than five pupils  Source:  School Census

History: General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of Key Stage 4 pupils took a GCSE course in history in each year from 1988 to 2007.

Jim Knight: Figures relating to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 are only readily available for the past three years:
	
		
			   Percentage of pupils at the end of the Key Stage 4 who attempted GCSE History 
			 2004/05 32 
			 2005/06 32 
			 2006/07 31 
		
	
	Figures relating to 15-year-old pupils (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August) going back to 1993/94 are given as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage of 15-year-old pupils who attempted GCSE History 
			 1993/94 390 
			 1994/95 386 
			 1995/96 358 
			 1996/97 354 
			 1997/98 329 
			 1998/99 32.5 
			 1999/2000 328 
			 2000/01 324 
			 2001/02 32.0 
			 2002/03 313 
			 2003/04 319 
			 2004/05 31.8 
			 2005/06 31 8 
			 2006/07 309 
		
	
	Information for earlier years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Languages: Education

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children aged  (a) under 11,  (b) between 11 and 16 and  (c) between 17 and 18 years studied a foreign language in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: Information on the subjects studied by children at schools is not held centrally by the Department. We can, however, provide figures for children attempting foreign language qualifications at GCSE and A-level. Information on the learning aims of post-16 learners is available from the School Census and the Individual Learner Record from colleges but can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The following table shows the number of attempts in GCSEs in modern foreign languages for the past five years.
	
		
			  Pupils attempting GCSEs in modern foreign languages 
			   Number (Thousand) 
			 2007 301.6 
			 2006 327.0 
			 2005 375.3 
			 2004 437.2 
			 2003 453.9 
			  Note: From 2005, figures are based on pupils at the end of key stage 4; prior to 2005, figures are based on 15-year-old pupils (age at start of school year). 
		
	
	Figures for attempts and achievements in GCE A level qualifications can be found in table 11 of SFR02/2008 DCSF: GCE/VCE A/AS and Equivalent Examination Results in England, 2006/07 (Revised) which is available via the following link:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000769/index.shtml.
	Copies of this publication have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Languages: GCE A-Level

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of those taking an A-level in a modern language were pupils in state-funded schools in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The percentage of GCE A-level modern foreign language entries that were taken by pupils in maintained schools and colleges in each year since 1997 is given as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage of GCE A level modern foreign language entries that were taken by pupils in maintained schools and colleges  Percentage of all GCE A level entries that were taken by pupils in maintained schools and colleges 
			 1996/97 70.9 83.0 
			 1997/98 70.1 83.3 
			 1998/99 69.0 83.3 
			 1999/2000 67.9 83.7 
			 2000/01 68.0 84.0 
			 2001/02 66.3 83.8 
			 2002/03 64.8 83.8 
			 2003/04 64.8 83.7 
			 2004/05 65.4 84.6 
			 2005/06 66.5 84.6 
			 2006/07 67.7 84.9 
		
	
	The figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August).

Languages: Teachers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what minimum level of foreign language qualification is required for a teacher to teach foreign languages to  (a) GCSE and  (b) A-level.

Jim Knight: The Standards for trainee teachers do not set a minimum level of foreign language qualification for a teacher to teach foreign languages to GCSE or A-level. In order to take up employment as a teacher, a trainee should have successfully completed a course of initial teacher training, met all of the standards required of a skilled teacher, including passing the professional skills tests in numeracy, literacy and information and communications technology and been awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
	All qualified teachers in England must have a first degree or equivalent qualification but this does not have to be in a specified subject or discipline. The Standards include a requirement that trainees have a secure knowledge and understanding of their subjects to enable them to teach effectively across the age and ability range for which they are trained. Trainees are required to meet all of the Standards, including the subject expectations, before QTS can be awarded.

Pre-School Education: Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent in developing the early years foundation stage profile.

Jim Knight: 1,349,495 has been spent by the Qualifications Curriculum Authority (QCA) on the development and running of the foundation stage profile (FSP) from 2001April 2008. The FSP will become the early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP) from September 2008 and the total anticipated expenditure for developing materials in this financial year is 368,237.

Primary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to publish the Rose review of the primary curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We have asked Sir Jim Rose to provide an interim report of his review of the primary curriculum by the end of October 2008 and to provide his final advice and recommendations by the end of March 2009.

Pupil Referral Units

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils have been educated for longer than three years in a pupil referral unit.

Jim Knight: The requested information is not collected centrally.

Pupil Referral Units

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the suitability of facilities at pupil referral units; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: We expect local authorities to provide a good standard of facilities for pupils educated in pupil referral units. We issued guidance on suitable learning environments for pupil referral units in February 2007 in response to Ofsted concerns that many pupil referral units have poor accommodation. We are currently working on implementing commitments set out in the Children's Plan to improve the quality of pupil referral units and other alternative provision.

Pupil Referral Units

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were educated in pupil referral units in each year since 1996-97.

Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to the following link
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000744/index.shtml
	to Statistical First Release Schools and Pupils in England: January 2007 (Final). Table 1 gives the information requested. Copies of this publication have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Pupil Referral Units

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were being educated in pupil referral units in each local authority area in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The latest available information relates to 2007 and is published in the Statistical First Release 'Schools and Pupils in England' which is available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000744/index.shtml.
	The headcount of pupils in pupil referral units in each local authority is in table 12 and the full time equivalent number of pupils in each local authority is in table 13.

Pupil Referral Units

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the ratio of all pupils to pupil referral units is in each local authority.

Jim Knight: The Department does not calculate a ratio for the number of all pupils in a local authority to the number of pupil referral units.
	The latest available information on the number of pupil referral units and the number of pupils relates to 2007 and is published in the Statistical First Release Schools and Pupils in England which is available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000744/index.shtml
	The headcount of pupils by type of school in each local authority is available in table 12 and the full-time equivalent number of pupils is in table 13. The number of pupil referral units in each local authority can be found in table 11.

Pupil Referral Units: Arrests

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils in pupil referral units were arrested in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The requested information is not collected centrally.

Pupils: Absenteeism

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many fixed penalty notices have been issued in each local authority in relation to condoned absenteeism of pupils in each year since 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Department began collecting data in September 2004 on the number of penalty notices issued by local authorities to parents in respect of the offence of failing to ensure their children's regular school attendance. Between 1 September 2004 to 31 December 2007, the data on the number of penalty notices issued by each local authority in England are available at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/behaviourandattendance/about/data.cfm

Pupils: Disadvantaged

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals in  (a) all secondary schools,  (b) the top performing 100 secondary schools and  (c) the bottom performing 100 secondary schools.

Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to the following link:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000744/index.shtml
	to Statistical First Release Schools and Pupils in England: January 2007 (Final) where table 3 contains the information requested for all secondary schools. Copies of this publication have been placed in the Libraries of the House. School level performance information showing free school meal eligibility has also been placed in the House Library. Further information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in which schools more than 50 per cent. of pupils were entitled to free school meals in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The requested information has been placed in the House Library.

Pupils: Dyslexia

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of children of school age with dyslexia; and what assessment he has made of the effects of their condition on schooling needs;
	(2)  what provision has been made for teaching children with dyslexia within his Department's  (a) Every Child a Reader,  (b) Every Child a Writer and  (c) Every Child Counts programmes;
	(3)  if he will take steps to ensure there is at least one teacher with specialist training in teaching children with dyslexia on the staff of every school;
	(4)  if he will take steps to reduce the number of children with dyslexia who do not succeed in school.

Kevin Brennan: Our latest figures for pupils in schools with specific learning difficulties (including dyslexia) show there are 75,920 pupils either with a statement of special educational need (SEN) or supported through School Action Plus. We do not collect data on the particular special educational needs of the tenth of all pupils who are supported through School Action.
	All local authorities and schools must have regard to the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice which provides advice on their statutory duties to identify, assess and make provision for pupils' special educational needs. Children with dyslexia should have their needs identified and support put in place, as advised through the code.
	To help those working in schools with identifying and supporting children with dyslexia, last October we launched the Inclusion Development Programme, which is offering professional development in key areas of SEN starting with training on communication difficulties, including dyslexia. The Inclusion Development Programme materials were developed in close consultation with dyslexia organisations.
	To identify and promote best practice, we are working with dyslexia organisations on the No to Failure Project, through which children in trailblazer schools are screened and specialist teaching provided to those identified at risk of dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties. We are supporting this project with just over 1 million funding over three years.
	The recently published report from No to Failure says a significant proportion of participating children not achieving expected levels of attainment are at risk of dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties. However, the report does not indicate how many children had already been identified with SEN, nor does it evaluate the impact of specialist teaching on children's progression. We are looking forward to seeing the final report later this year, which we understand will contain such an evaluation.
	Through No to Failure, we have commissioned Dr. Chris Singleton to summarise published research on the impact of specialist dyslexia teaching. We will consider whether and how we should promote specialist dyslexia teaching as best practice in the light of evidence of its impact.
	Our commitment through the Primary and Secondary National Strategies is to ensure Quality First teaching for all. The Every Child a Reader and Every Child Counts initiatives are focused on providing additional intervention for the 5 per cent. of children facing the most difficulties with reading and mathematics. They do not provide a specific focus on provision for children with dyslexia. Every Child a Reader is being rolled out to reach 30,000 children a year by 2010/11.
	Every Child Counts is currently in a research phase and will be informed by the Williams Review of the teaching of mathematics that is due to be published in June this year. The intention is that Every Child Counts will be aimed at children whose attainment in the early stages of mathematics shows they are not making expected progress for their age.
	Every Child a Writer is a new programme announced at the end of last year. The intentionas stated in our Children's Planis that this will offer support later in primary school than Every Child a Reader and Every Child Counts and reach a greater number of pupils. Further announcements will be made about Every Child a Writer in due course.
	Evaluations of the Every Child a Reader pilotwhich provides Reading Recovery for children from among those having the most difficulties in learning to read were published in 2006 and 2007. These are available on www.everychildareader.org.uk. The evaluation of Every Child a Reader in London in 2005/06 showed that 87 per cent. of children who had received Reading Recovery were considered to have made average to exceptional progress in reading comprehension. However, these evaluations did not include looking at the efficacy of Reading Recovery for children with dyslexia.
	The SEN Code of Practice says that effective management, school ethos and the learning environment, curricular, pastoral and discipline arrangements can help prevent some special educational needs arising, and minimise others (paragraph 5:18). Where whole school arrangements for teaching and learning are not addressing a child's learning difficulties, schools have a statutory duty to do their best to ensure that the necessary provision is made for any pupil who has special educational needs. It follows that if a child with dyslexia is not benefiting from their participation in any or all of the three initiatives, the school must make additional or different arrangements to address the child's special educational needs.

Pupils: English Language

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in how many schools more than 50 per cent. of pupils spoke English as a second language at the latest date for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, secondary and all special schools:( 1,2,3)  Number of schools with more than 50 per cent. of pupils speaking English as an additional language( 4,5) January 2007, England 
			   Maintained primary schools( 1)  Maintained secondary schools( 1,2)  All special schools( 3) 
			 More than 50 per cent. 1,149 205 45 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies.  (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools.  (4) The number of pupils by their first language expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils of compulsory school age and above.  (5) Does not include information which was not sought or refused.   Source:  School Census.

Pupils: English Language

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have more than 50 per cent. of pupils with English as an additional language, broken down by local authority index of multiple deprivation decile.

Jim Knight: The requested information is attached in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, secondary and all special schools( 1, 2, 3 ) : Number of schools with more than 50 per cent. of pupils with English as a additional language( 4, 5)  : January 2007 by local authority area and Government Office region in England 
			Schools where first language of school population has been classified as other than English 
			Maintained primary schools( 1)  All secondary schools( 1, 2)  All special schools( 3)  Deprivation indicator( 6) 
			 841 Darlington 0 0 0 65 
			 840 Durham 0 0 0 48 
			 390 Gateshead 0 0 0 25 
			 805 Hartlepool 0 0 0 13 
			 806 Middlesbrough 2 0 0 9 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 4 0 0 19 
			 392 North Tyneside 0 0 0 60 
			 929 Northumberland 0 0 0 77 
			 807 Redcar and Cleveland 0 0 0 38 
			 393 South Tyneside 0 1 0 26 
			 808 Stockton-on-Tees 2 0 0 56 
			 394 Sunderland 0 0 0 21 
			   
			   North West 127 17 0  
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 17 3 0 30 
			 890 Blackpool 0 0 0 23 
			 350 Bolton 14 1 0 42 
			 351 Bury 4 0 0 69 
			 875 Cheshire 0 0 0 113 
			 909 Cumbria 0 0 0 81 
			 876 Halton 0 0 0 20 
			 340 Knowsley 0 0 0 3 
			 888 Lancashire 23 2 0 79 
			 341 Liverpool 3 0 0 1 
			 352 Manchester 25 5 0 2 
			 353 Oldham 20 3 0 37 
			 354 Rochdale 12 3 0 24 
			 355 Salford 2 0 0 11 
			 343 Sefton 0 0 0 59 
			 342 St. Helens 0 0 0 32 
			 356 Stockport 1 0 0 95 
			 357 Tameside 3 0 0 41 
			 358 Trafford 3 0 0 89 
			 877 Warrington 0 0 0 92 
			 359 Wigan 0 0 0 45 
			 344 Wirral 0 0 0 40 
			   
			   Yorkshire and the Humber 117 20 6  
			 370 Barnsley 0 0 0 27 
			 380 Bradford 46 10 5 28 
			 381 Calderdale 6 1 0 63 
			 371 Doncaster 1 0 0 34 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 0 0 0 112 
			 810 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 0 0 0 8 
			 382 Kirklees 25 5 1 58 
			 383 Leeds 13 2 0 54 
			 812 North East Lincolnshire 0 0 0 44 
			 813 North Lincolnshire 1 0 0 83 
			 815 North Yorkshire 1 0 0 125 
			 372 Rotherham 5 0 0 50 
			 373 Sheffield 16 2 0 49 
			 384 Wakefield 3 0 0 46 
			 816 York 0 0 0 118 
			   
			   East Midlands 52 6 3  
			 831 Derby 9 1 1 55 
			 830 Derbyshire 0 1 0 91 
			 856 Leicester 27 4 1 29 
			 855 Leicestershire 4 0 0 136 
			 925 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 94 
			 928 Northamptonshire 2 0 0 107 
			 892 Nottingham 10 0 1 7 
			 891 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 86 
			 857 Rutland 0 0 0 148 
			   
			   West Midlands 142 29 6  
			 330 Birmingham 79 23 6 14 
			 331 Coventry 9 1 0 51 
			 332 Dudley 3 0 0 76 
			 884 Herefordshire 0 0 0 109 
			 333 Sandwell 15 1 0 15 
			 893 Shropshire 0 0 0 111 
			 334 Solihull 0 0 0 103 
			 860 Staffordshire 2 0 0 104 
			 861 Stoke-on-Trent 7 0 0 17 
			 894 Telford and Wrekin 0 0 0 78 
			 335 Walsall 14 3 0 43 
			 937 Warwickshire 1 0 0 120 
			 336 Wolverhampton 10 1 0 31 
			 885 Worcestershire 2 0 0 116 
			   
			   East of England 28 5 2  
			 820 Bedfordshire 4 1 0 131 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 134 
			 881 Essex 0 0 0 121 
			 919 Hertfordshire 5 0 1 138 
			 821 Luton 14 3 1 72 
			 926 Norfolk 0 0 0 97 
			 874 Peterborough 5 1 0 71 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea 0 0 0 80 
			 935 Suffolk 0 0 0 114 
			 883 Thurrock 0 0 0 84 
			   
			   London 633 122 27  
			   Inner City 357 63 19  
			 202 Camden 24 3 3 18 
			 201 City of London 1 0 0 123 
			 204 Hackney 33 5 2 5 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 14 4 1 52 
			 309 Haringey 38 7 3 12 
			 206 Islington 14 3 1 6 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 17 2 0 82 
			 208 Lambeth 27 3 1 22 
			 209 Lewisham 10 2 1 47 
			 316 Newham 59 12 1 10 
			 210 Southwark 20 5 0 16 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 53 11 3 4 
			 212 Wandsworth 15 1 1 87 
			 213 Westminster 32 5 2 33 
			   
			   Outer London 276 59 8  
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 7 0 0 36 
			 302 Barnet 25 7 0 105 
			 303 Bexley 0 0 0 115 
			 304 Brent 40 10 2 61 
			 305 Bromley 0 0 0 129 
			 306 Croydon 7 1 0 90 
			 307 Ealing 40 7 3 70 
			 308 Enfield 22 4 1 74 
			 203 Greenwich 13 1 0 35 
			 310 Harrow 30 5 1 127 
			 311 Havering 0 0 0 117 
			 312 Hillingdon 11 2 0 99 
			 313 Hounslow 25 6 1 73 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 5 0 0 135 
			 315 Merton 4 0 0 119 
			 317 Redbridge 22 8 0 98 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 0 0 0 142 
			 319 Sutton 0 0 0 128 
			 320 Waltham Forest 25 8 0 39 
			   South East 33 5 0  
			 867 Bracknell Forest 0 0 0 143 
			 846 Brighton and Hove 0 0 0 62 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 6 1 0 144 
			 845 East Sussex 0 0 0 101 
			 850 Hampshire 0 0 0 140 
			 921 Isle of Wight 0 0 0 85 
			 886 Kent 2 1 0 106 
			 887 Medway 0 0 0 96 
			 826 Milton Keynes 0 0 0 110 
			 931 Oxfordshire 3 0 0 137 
			 851 Portsmouth 0 0 0 64 
			 870 Reading 2 0 0 93 
			 871 Slough 11 3 0 88 
			 852 Southampton 4 0 0 68 
			 936 Surrey 2 0 0 147 
			 869 West Berkshire 0 0 0 146 
			 938 West Sussex 1 0 0 133 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 2 0 0 145 
			 872 Wokingham 0 0 0 149 
			   
			   South West 9 0 1  
			 800 Bath and North East Somerset 0 0 0 132 
			 837 Bournemouth 0 0 0 67 
			 801 Bristol, City of 7 0 1 53 
			  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 75 
			 878 Devon 0 0 0 100 
			 835 Dorset 0 0 0 130 
			 916 Gloucestershire 1 0 0 126 
			 802 North Somerset 0 0 0 124 
			 879 Plymouth 0 0 0 57 
			 836 Poole 0 0 0 122 
			 933 Somerset 0 0 0 108 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 0 0 0 141 
			 86 Swindon 1 0 0 102 
			 880 Torbay 0 0 0 66 
			 865 Wiltshire 0 0 0 139 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Includes City Technology Colleges and Academies.  (3) Includes maintained and non maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools.  (4) The number of pupils by their first language expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils of compulsory school age and above.  (5) Does not include information which was not sought or refused.  (6) Where one is the most deprived super output area.   Source:  School Census.

Runaway Children

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to improve the collection of data on child runaways.

Kevin Brennan: A new indicator on young people who run away from home or care has been included in the National Indicator Set, to be measured from April 2009.
	Following The Children's Society report Stepping Up (August 2007) a cross-Departmental working group on young runaways was established, supported by a consultative group made up of experts from the voluntary sector. Immediate activities for the working group include consideration of data collection mechanisms which will best support the new indicator. I am expecting a progress report from the working group on this in June, and full technical consultation on the indicator will take place in autumn 2008.
	In addition to developing the new indicator, the working group are also developing an action plan to be published in June which will set out ongoing actions for improvements to services for young runaways at local, regional and national level; reviewing the Missing from Care and Home guidance (2002) and carrying out a review of emergency accommodation provision for young runaways.

School Day

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools have lunch breaks of less than 60 minutes; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department.

School Leaving: Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the annual cost to his Department of compulsory education to the age of 18 years.

Jim Knight: Our proposals would not introduce compulsory education, but compulsory participation in some form of learningyoung people will be able to participate in education, training, or a combination of employment and training.
	The estimated costs and benefits of raising the participation age are set out in the Impact Assessment published alongside the Education and Skills Bill on 29 November. Annual costs were estimated at 774 million per cohort of young people, but recurring net benefits were estimated at around 1,626 million.
	Costs will continue to be reviewed and revised estimates will be published on the website. The Impact Assessment can be accessed at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/publications/educationandskills/docs/lmpact_Assessment_Education_and_Skills_Bill.pdf and I have placed a copy in the House Library.

School Meals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  whether his Department met its target to increase the uptake of school meals by March 2008; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much his Department and its predecessors spent on school meals provision in each financial year since 2000-01; and what its planned expenditure is in each financial year from 2008-09 to 2011-12;
	(3)  how many local authority school meal services were in deficit in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07 and  (c) 2007-08; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many and what proportion of pupils in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools had school meals in (i) 2001, (ii) 2004, (iii) 2005, (iv) 2006 and (v) 2007; what the equivalent figures are to date in 2008; what target has been set for school meal consumption in (A) 2009, (B) 2010 and (C) 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: Increasing the take-up of school lunches remains a priority for this Department and for the School Food Trust (SFT), as demonstrated by the fact that it is one of the indicators in the new Child Health PSA and is one of the indicators in the National Indicator SetPSA 12 of the 2007 CSR ('Improve the health and well-being of children and young people'); and an indicator of the local government National Indicator Set (NIS) (NI52Take-up of school lunches).
	The SFT is currently undertaking its third annual survey of school lunch take-up, which will provide information on the current position. The results of the survey will be announced at the Local Authority Caterers' Association annual conference in July 2008.
	The Department does not fund school meals' provision. That is the responsibility of local authorities, schools, parents and carers. However, this Government are investing 656 million to support school meals provision between 2005-11. This figure can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2005-06 61 
			 2006-07 87 
			 2007-08 89.5 
			 2008-09 242 
			 2009-10 89 
			 2010-11 88 
		
	
	We do not have data on how many school meal services were in deficit in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08.
	In response to question 201208, I would refer the hon. Member to the response that I gave on 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 400W.

School Meals: Prices

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to prevent increases in the prices of school meals; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Government are taking forward a number of steps to help to keep down the price of school meals. We are investing over 650 million between 2005-11 to help raise nutritional standards and keep school lunch prices down. This funding is also being used to help build kitchens in areas with no kitchen facilities; to better support the development of training centres for the school food workforce; and to improve overall take-up.
	The School Food Trust is working with manufacturers, caterers and schools to ensure the long term sustainability and efficiency of the country's school food service. They are working with food producers and manufacturers to ensure that the nutrient menus have a minimum effect on the price of school meals as well as working on kitchen efficiencies, including both skilling the workforce and looking at international business models. The Trust has produced guidance focusing on efficient and sustainable school food procurement. This guidance is being distributed to all schools in April 2008.
	The Department is working in close alliance with the Trust and other Departments, to identify opportunities and develop initiatives to further improve efficiencies in procurement. These include price benchmark variance reporting, common food standards and terms and conditions to support local and national competitive tendering, as well as the use of shared contracts from other Departments, where they can be shown to meet the needs of schools.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effects of selection by ability in local authority areas with grammar schools on educational provision; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Secretary of State has not made a comprehensive assessment of the effects of selection by ability in local authorities with grammar schools. We remain opposed to selection by ability and legislation prevents admission authorities from introducing new selection of this type. Grammar and partially selective schools already selecting in this way at the beginning of the 1997/98 academic year may continue to do so, with decisions on whether individual schools should continue to do so being made at a local level. Parents may object to the Adjudicator about continuing partial selection, and mechanisms are in place to allow parents to vote to remove selection at grammar schools.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans his Department has to collect information on oversubscription criteria used by schools admissions authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Secretary of State has asked the schools adjudicator to report to him on compliance with the statutory requirements on admissions, in respect of 2009 admission arrangements and annually thereafter. To inform his 2009 report, to be submitted to the Secretary of State on 1 September 2008, the adjudicator has written to all local authorities asking them to submit to him a full set of admission arrangements for all schools in their area, and their account of the legality, fairness and effectiveness of those arrangements. We will be tabling a government amendment to the Education and Skills Bill which would place a duty on local authorities to submit reports on school admissions to the schools adjudicator in future years which will assist him in producing future reports.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of the legal advice his Department received on the publication of the school admissions review on 2 April 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It is essential that Government departments have access to high quality and comprehensive legal advice. This allows for decisions to be taken in a fully informed context. It is vital that Ministers and officials are able to consult lawyers in confidence in order to obtain effective legal advice in a forum which is conducive to a candid exchange of views and consideration and assessment of potential risks without fear of disclosure. Disclosure of legal advice is very likely to prejudice the Government's ability to conduct its business effectively and to defend its legal interests, either by unfairly exposing its legal position to challenge or by reducing the reliance it can place on the advice it has received. For these reasons, disclosure of legal advice would not be in the public interest.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  for what reasons specialist schools are allowed to select up to 10 per cent. of pupils by aptitude; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what systems of assessment are used by schools which select by aptitude; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what guidance his Department has issued on selection by aptitude; how this differs from guidance issued on selection by ability; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: A school may select up to 10 per cent. of its intake by aptitude in prescribed subjects if the school considers it has a specialism, whether or not the school is a designated specialist school. It recognises the diversity of such schools, increases choices for parents and widens access to particular schools. We have published guidance in the school admissions code on aptitude selection which states that a child with aptitude is one who is identified as being able to benefit from teaching in a specific subject, or who demonstrates a particular capacity to succeed in that subject. Such selection is limited to subjects where there are recognised tests for aptitude which do not inadvertently identify high academic ability. Schools may also hold auditions or oral or practical tests to ascertain a child's aptitude. Prescribed subjects are modern foreign languages, performing or visual arts and physical education or sport. Schools may continue to select 10 per cent. by aptitude in design and technology and ICT if they already had such arrangements in place prior to the 2008 academic year.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what proportion of secondary schools are fully or partially selective by ability; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 971-72W, on schools: admissions, which the 40 schools referred to are.

Jim Knight: There are 164 schools designated as grammar schools under section 104 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. We do not collect the data on the proportion of secondary schools which are fully or partially selective by ability. The 40 schools which the Department are aware of which the hon. Member refers to in his question are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   LEA  School 
			 1 Barnet Mill Hill School 
			
			 2 Bexley Erith School 
			
			 3 Birmingham Ninestiles School 
			
			 4 Buckinghamshire Waddesdon C of E School 
			
			 5 Croydon Edenham High School 
			 6  Riddlesdown High School 
			 7  Archbishop Lanfranc 
			 8  Shirley High School 
			
			 9 Dorset Budmouth Technology College 
			
			 10 Dudley Old Swinford Hospital School 
			
			 11 Havering Coopers' Company and Coborn 
			
			 12 Hertfordshire Queens' School 
			 13  St. Clement Danes 
			 14  Parmiter's School 
			 15  Dame Alice Owen 
			 16  Rickmansworth 
			 17  Watford Boys 
			 18  Watford Girls 
			
			 19 Kent Homewood School 
			 20  Archbishop's 
			 21  Chaucer 
			 22  Westlands 
			
			 23 Kingston Holy Cross 
			
			 24 Lancashire Ripley St. Thomas C of E High 
			
			 25 Lincolnshire Spilsbury King Edward VI 
			
			 26 Liverpool Archbishop Blanch C of E High School 
			 27  King David High School 
			 28  St. Edward's College 
			 29  St. Hilda's C of E High School 
			 30  St. Margarets C of E High School 
			
			 31 Peterborough Kings School 
			
			 32 Southampton St. Anne's Convent School 
			
			 33 Southend St. Bernard's High School 
			 34  St. Thomas More High School for Boys 
			
			 35 Surrey Roseberry Girls School 
			
			 36 Wandsworth Burntwood 
			 37  Ernest Bevin 
			 38  Chestnut Grove 
			 39  Graveney 
			
			 40 Warwickshire Ashlawn School

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will require admissions forums to publish an annual report on the extent to which admissions arrangements in their areas are operating fairly; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Legislation provides admission forums with a power to produce annual reports on the effectiveness of admission arrangements in their area, to feed into the School Commissioner's biennial report to Parliament on fair access.
	As part of our recent announcements to strengthen the school admissions framework and ensure more compliance with the School Admissions Code and admissions legislation, we published, on 2 April, draft amendments to the Education and Skills Bill for consideration at Commons Report to place a duty on local authorities to report annually to the Schools Adjudicator on the legality, fairness, and effectiveness of admission arrangements in their areas. This duty on local authorities is in line with their role to monitor compliance with the statutory admissions framework and their duty to ensure fair access to educational opportunity. Copies of these draft amendments are available in the House Library.
	We also signalled that we will publish detailed proposals in the early summer to further strengthen the admission system, which will include improvements to admission forums.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the role of the schools adjudicator is in monitoring and enforcing the code of admissions; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The school's adjudicator considers objections to admission arrangements where the admission authority concerned fails to comply with the mandatory provisions of the school admissions code, or does not follow its guidelines. Local authorities have a duty to refer to the adjudicator the admission arrangements of any school if it appears to them that they do not comply with the law or the mandatory requirements of the code. The Secretary of State made a statement to Parliament on 2 April in which he outlined his proposals to extend the role of the schools adjudicator to ensure that all admission arrangements are legal, fair and effective.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  which local authorities use a system of authority-wide fair banding for school admissions;
	(2)  which 10 local authorities select the highest proportion of their secondary school children by ability; and what proportion of secondary school pupils were educated in selective schools in each of those authorities in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: We do not collect the information asked; however Sheffield Hallam University carried out research into secondary school admissions for 2006 (published in January 2008) which showed only a small minority of schools use banding. Three local authorities Greenwich, Lewisham and Tower Hamlets had authority-wide banding. Sheffield Hallam found that the following 10 authorities select the highest proportion of their secondary school children by ability.
	
		
			   Total places  Selective places  Non-selective places  Percentage selective places  Percentage non-selective places 
			 Trafford 3,066 1,200 1,866 39.14 60.86 
			 Southend-on-Sea 2,178 750 1,428 34.44 65.56 
			 Buckinghamshire 5,794 1,980 3,814 34.17 65.83 
			 Slough 1,557 530 1,027 34.04 65.96 
			 Kent 16,781 4,830 11,951 28.78 71.22 
			 Bexley 3,451 991 2,460 28.72 71.28 
			 Sutton 2,641 737 1,904 27.91 72.09 
			 Medway 3,714 954 2,760 25.69 74.31 
			 Lincolnshire 8,665 2,065 6,600 23.83 76.17 
			 Poole 1,705 360 1,345 21.11 78.89

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what research he has commissioned on schools admission arrangements; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what research his Department has commissioned on the effects of selection by aptitude; what assessment he has made of the merits of such selection; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what research his Department has commissioned on the merits of selection by aptitude in the last three years; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what research his Department has commissioned on selection procedures in schools using partial selection in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department commissioned Sheffield Hallam university, in conjunction with the National Centre for Social Research, to undertake a comprehensive study of school admission arrangements in England. This study mapped the arrangements for all admission authorities of secondary schools and examined the experiences of parents and careers who applied for places in secondary schools for September 2006.
	This report examines the major issues concerning school admissions, including regulation, coordination, oversubscription criteria (including banding, selection by attainment and selection by aptitude) and appeals. The full report was published in January 2008 and is available from the DCSF Research and Statistics Gateway:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools using faith-based criteria for admissions in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to collect information on the number of maintained schools which select by faith; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The latest figures published by the Department show that in January 2007 there were 6,255 maintained primary schools and 587 maintained secondary schools designated by the Secretary of State as having a religious character. These schools are permitted to use faith-based oversubscription criteria in order to give higher priority to children who are members of, or practice, their faith. The Department does not collect information on how many of these schools do or do not use faith-based oversubscription criteria.
	As signalled in our statement to the House on 2 April, we will be tabling an amendment to the Education and Skills Bill which would place a duty on local authorities to produce a report on school admissions, to be submitted annually to the Schools Adjudicator.
	We intend for these reports to include information about the admission arrangements for schools in their area and this could include, in the case of schools designated as having a religious character, whether they give higher priority to children who are members of, or practice, their faith.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the level of intra-year pupil turnover at the 50 schools in England with the highest levels of intra-year pupil turnover in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The requested information could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Schools: Admissions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of fully subscribed schools which have not been approved for expansion on the grounds of  (a) neighbouring schools having surplus places and  (b) unavailability of local authority capital funding.

Jim Knight: School place planning is a local matter and it is for the local authority and individual schools to decide whether to consult on, and then publish, statutory proposals to expand a school. Following publication of any statutory proposals, the final decision would be taken by the local authority or schools adjudicator, or, prior to 25 May 2007, the local School Organisation Committee or schools adjudicator.
	Since January 2003 statutory proposals to expand nine schools have been rejected. The Department does not maintain records of whether the schools were over-subscribed or the reasons for rejection and we have made no estimate of rejections due to neighbouring schools having surplus places or the unavailability of local authority capital funding. The Department has no information on other cases where a school, or local authority, have decided not to proceed to publish expansion proposals.
	Each local authority is allocated significant amounts of capital through a range of different programmes that can be joined-up and used flexibly according to local priorities. Additional resources are also available through the new Primary Capital Programme and, through application, for the expansion of successful and popular schools from the Standards and Diversity Targeted Capital Fund. The Government have made it clear that the wishes of parents should be taken into account in planning school place provision and that they want to encourage successful and popular schools to expand to meet parental demand.

Schools: Admissions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many parental representations made to local authorities have been referred to his Department since the publication of Expanding a Maintained Mainstream School or Adding a Sixth Form: A Guide for Local Authorities and Governing Bodies in March 2008; and how many have been referred in the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: No parental representations have been received since March 2008 and one has been received in the past 12 months.

Schools: Admissions

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have more than 1,500 pupils, broken down by index of multiple deprivation decile.

Jim Knight: The requested information is shown in the table:
	
		
			  All state funded secondary schools ( 1,2) , Number and percentage of schools with more than 1,500 pupils by level of deprivation of school ( 3) Number of schools by Band. England, as at January 2007 
			   Number of secondary schools with more than 1,500 pupils  Percentage of secondary schools with more than 1,500 pupils 
			  Level of deprivation of school based on Index of Multiple Deprivation ( 2)   
			 0-10 most deprived 14 5.3 
			 10-20 13 4.1 
			 20-30 21 6.5 
			 30-40 31 8.5 
			 40-50 29 7.6 
			 50-60 24 6.9 
			 60-70 33 8.9 
			 70-80 35 10.6 
			 80-90 39 10.8 
			 90-100 least deprived 49 14.4 
			 All schools (3,4) 288 8.5 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes local authority maintained secondary schools, City Technology Colleges and Academies. (3) 2004 Indices of Multiple Deprivation at Super Output Area based on the location of the school. (4) Based on schools open at as January 2006.  Source:  School Census

Schools: Catering

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in each local authority area had (i) no kitchen facilities for producing school meals and (ii) no daily access to hot school meals for pupils in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given previously for question number 187150.

Schools: Class Sizes

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the average  (a) primary and  (b) secondary class sizes in the 20 (i) highest and (ii) lowest deprivation local authority areas; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The requested information has been placed in the House Library.

Schools: Curriculum

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what guidance his Department provides to schools on the proportion of teaching time which should be allocated to  (a) English and  (b) mathematics at Key Stage (i) 1, (ii) 2 and (iii) 3; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what funding he plans to allocate to schools for new curriculum requirements on  (a) cookery and  (b) culture; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1096W, on food: secondary education, for what reasons cookery lessons will be compulsory in all maintained schools other than academies; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what guidance his Department has issued to schools on the amount of weekday education in cultural subjects to be delivered; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The statutory national curriculum programmes of study set out what is to be taught in each subject, not how it is to be taught, nor for how many hours each week. The Department does not prescribe the amount of time that should be allocated to the teaching of English, mathematics or culture. However, the Rose Review of the teaching of reading recommended that 15-20 minutes a day should be spent on the teaching of phonics in order to secure children's early reading, particular during key stage 1.
	In February 2008 the Government announced a 25 million Find Your Talent programme of 10 pilots that will trial different ways of offering young people a range of cultural experiences for at least five hours a week, both in and out of school. The pilots will test a variety of approaches to a cultural offer over the next three years and will build on the considerable amount of cultural activity already taking place, and provided by a range of partners in addition to schools.
	In compulsory food technology lessons pupils will be taught a broad range of practical skills and techniques and how to use them to develop, plan and cook a range of dishes. They will also learn about health and safety, the characteristics of a broad range of ingredients and a balanced diet. This will equip them with the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to eat a healthy, balanced diet. This new curriculum for food technology will be introduced from September 2008 and will become compulsory from September 2011. From September 2011 schools will share 2.5 million a year towards the cost of ingredients for pupils on free school meals.

Schools: Facilities

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what guidance his Department has issued to  (a) local authorities,  (b) head teachers and  (c) school governors on hygiene and the cleaning and maintenance of school toilet facilities;
	(2)  if he will assess the availability of fresh drinking water in schools for  (a) pupils and  (b) staff; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Although we have not issued discrete advice on hygiene and the maintenance and cleaning of school toilets, the Department's guidance on standard specifications for secondary schools, Toilets in Schools at
	http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=12420
	makes clear the importance of well-designed and well-maintained facilities, so that pupils can and will readily make use of them.
	We have no plans to assess the availability of drinking water in schools. The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 require schools to have a wholesome supply of water for domestic purposes including a supply of drinking water. The responsibility for ensuring maintained schools' compliance with the regulations rests with local authorities.

Schools: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what resources from standards funds have been allocated by his Department in the last 12 months, broken down by source fund.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the Standards Fund allocations made to local authorities for 2007-08.
	
		
			  Standards fund allocations to local authorities 2007-08 
			  Grant   million 
			 School Development Grant 1,894.29 
			 School Standards Grant 1,174.56 
			 School Standards Grant (Personalisation) 355.85 
			 Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant 178.63 
			 Targeted School Meals Grant 49.00 
			 Devolved School Meals Grant 29.19 
			 Extended Schools 64.57 
			 Targeted Support for Primary National Strategy 146.50 
			 Targeted Support for Secondary National Strategy 110.68 
			 Primary Strategy: Communication, Language and Literacy 2.58 
			 Aimhigher 26.28 
			 Targeted Improvement Grant 20.69 
			 Fresh Start and New Partnerships: Recurrent 2.43 
			 School Improvement Partners 13.06 
			 Music Services 59.56 
			 Music at Key Stage 2 23.00 
			 Education Health Partnerships 11.64 
			 Playing for Success 10.82 
			 London Challenge/City Challenge 19.48 
			 14-19 Engagement Programme 10.98 
			 Choice Advisers 5.27 
			 School Workforce Data Collection Pilots 1.76 
			 Making Good Progress Pilots 5.31 
			 School Intervention Grant 15.00 
			 Flexible 14 to 19 Partnerships Funding 29.70 
			 Walking to School Initiatives 2.58 
			 General Duty on Sustainable Travel To School 4.00 
			 Extended Rights for Free Travel 3.20 
			 Regional School Travel Advisers 0.22 
			 Computers for Pupils: Recurrent 9.97 
			 Computers for Pupils: Capital 49.29 
			 National Digital Infrastructure for Schools: Capital 195.93 
			 E-Learning Credits 49.92 
			 Devolved Formula Capital 812.38 
			 School Travel Plans: Capital 17.86 
			 Capital Modernisation: Primary 88.92 
			 Capital Modernisation: Secondary 89.37 
			 Targeted Capital Fund 615.81 
			 Building Schools for the Future: Capital 382.11 
			 Miscellaneous Capital Grants 245.94 
			 Basic Needs Safety Valve: Capital 9.60 
			 Successful and Popular Schools: Capital 12.14 
			 Specialist Schools Capital 20.96 
			 Fresh Start and New Partnerships: Capital 13.10 
			 City Learning Centre: Capital 15.77 
			 England total 6,899.91

Schools: Sales

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many former school sites have been sold since 1997.

Jim Knight: We do not hold this information. Although local authorities and maintained schools in England need consent before they can dispose of a school playing field or any part of a school playing field, they do not require approval to sell buildings, or the marginal non-playing field land surrounding those buildings. Such decisions are made locally.

Schools: Sports

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools played inter-school sport in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The 2006/07 PE and School Sport Survey found that 94.1 per cent. of primary schools and 99.8 per cent. of secondary schools provided inter-school competition for their pupils.

Schools: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which publicly funded agencies and departmental bodies are responsible for raising standards in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Within their specific areas of responsibility, all the Department's agencies and other bodies which work with schools work to raise standards and narrow attainment gaps.
	The main departmental bodies helping schools to raise standards are:
	British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA)
	National Strategies
	National College for School Leadership (NCSL)
	Ofsted
	Partnerships for schools (PfS)
	Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).

Schools: Water

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much  (a) water and  (b) electricity was used by schools in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002, (iii) 2003, (iv) 2004, (v) 2005, (vi) 2006 and (vii) 2007.

Jim Knight: The Department does not have information on the volumes of water and electricity supplied to all schools in England. However, we have gathered benchmarking information on electricity and water use for the years 2001-2006 for a sample of schools. This has been analysed to determine average water use per pupil and electricity use per square metre of floor area as summarised in the following tables.
	
		
			  Average annual water consumption (cu.m/pupil) 
			   Nursery  Primary  Secondary 
			With pool  Without pool  With pool  Without pool 
			 2000-01(1) 3.41 4.31 3.80 5.08 3.86 
			 2001-02(1) 4.28 4.35 4.03 5.06 3.96 
			 2002-03(1) 4.21 4.48 4.02 5.08 3.82 
			 2003-04(2) 3.50 5.16 3.99 5.08 3.70 
			 2004-05(2) 3.52 4.95 4.08 4.89 3.75 
			 2005-06(2) 3.71 4.91 4.11 5.39 3.75 
		
	
	
		
			  Average annual electricity consumption (kWh/m2) 
			   Nursery  Primary  Secondary 
			With pool  Without pool  With pool  Without pool 
			 2000-01(1) 38 34 36 
			 2001-02(1) 43 36 37 
			 2002-03(1) 43 37 39 
			 2003-04(2) 42 39 37 47 40 
			 2004-05(2) 48 42 40 48 41 
			 2005-06(2) 53 46 43 56 49 
			 (1)Based on samples of approximately 16,000 schools (2)Based on samples of approximately 4,000 schools

Science: General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many school pupils were studying for  (a) biology,  (b) chemistry and  (c) physics GCSEs at the latest date for which figures are available, broken down by index of multiple deprivation decile.

Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Secondary Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the attainment gap at Key Stage 4 between children in  (a) the 10 per cent. most deprived and  (b) the 10 per cent least deprived local authorities; what this gap was in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Secondary Education: Assessments

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many eligible pupils did not obtain level 4 in a combination of reading, writing and mathematics tests in Key Stage 2 tests in 2007, broken down by index of multiple deprivation decile.

Jim Knight: Figures broken down by index of multiple deprivation decile can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Some related figures can be found at the following:
	National figures for pupils achieving level 4 or above in a combination of reading, writing and mathematics can be found in 'DCSF: National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2 in England, 2007 (Provisional)' found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000737/index.shtml (Table 5)
	National and Government Office Region level figures of pupils achieving level 4 or above in English, Mathematics and Science broken down by index of multiple deprivation decile can be found in 'DCSF: National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics, in England 2006/07' found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000759/index.shtml (Table 1).

Sixth Form Education: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to publish the research conducted by KPMG on the funding gap between school sixth forms and further education colleges, as referred to on page 37 of the Learning and Skills Council Statement of Priorities, 2008-09 to 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: As set out in the Learning and Skills Council's Statement of Priorities (November 2007), a common 16-18 funding approach for schools, colleges and providers will be introduced from 2008/09. This will support better partnership and collaboration between institutions and is key to the successful delivery of the 14-19 reforms.
	In line with Cabinet Office guidance there are no plans to publish the KPMG report in the period leading up to the local elections. However, we aim to publish it thereafter.

Specialised Diplomas

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils had registered to study for diplomas from September 2008 at the latest date for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: Students register for diplomas, as they do other qualifications, over a period of time between March and September. Schools and colleges will continue to revise numbers of students choosing particular courses between now and September.

Specialised Schools

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many maintained schools have specialist status, broken down by specialism.

Jim Knight: There are 2,880 maintained schools which have specialist school status. The breakdown of those schools by specialism is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Maintained Specialist Schools, April 2008 
			   Number 
			 Arts colleges 476 
			 Business and enterprise 249 
			 Engineering colleges 57 
			 Humanities colleges 116 
			 Language colleges 220 
			 Maths and computing 272 
			 Music colleges 26 
			 Science colleges 316 
			 Sports colleges 382 
			 Technology colleges 564 
			 Combined specialism 125 
			 SEN specialism 77 
			 Total maintained specialist schools 2,880

Specialist Schools and Academic Trust: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what financial contribution his Department and its predecessors made  (a) directly and  (b) indirectly to the Specialist Schools and Academic Trust in each financial year since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The DCSF funds SSAT through a range of grants and contracts to support the Specialist Schools and Academies Programmes and a range of other activities designed to raise pupil achievement. The total financial contribution made to SSAT over the last six years for which we have final information is: 2.395 million in 2001-02; 4.371 million in 2002-03; 11.326 million in 2003-04; 17.796 million in 2004-05; 24,350 million in 2005-06; and 35.152 million in 2006-07. Once accounts are finalised, we expect the contribution for 2007-08 will be in the region of 44 million. Within each grant and contract funded by the Department, a proportion of funding will cover the associated direct and indirect delivery costs, as appropriate for each programme.

Supplementary Schools: Finance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department provided for supplementary schools in each of the last five years; what funding it plans to provide in the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department does not provide direct funding to supplementary schools. However, last year, in partnership with the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the Department contributed 596,000 towards funding the establishment of a National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education. This funding was initially planned to end on 31 March this year but as announced to the House on 26 February the Department has extended it to ensure that the centre's valuable work continues. In 2008-09 the Department will make available a grant of 350,000 and up to a similar amount in 2009-10 with arrangements to give the centre an incentive to become self-sufficient as early as possible. One key aim of the centre is to promote links between supplementary schools, local authorities and mainstream schools.

Supply Teachers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent estimate is of spending on supply teachers in maintained schools in each year from 1997-98.

Jim Knight: The value of spend on supply teachers in maintained schools in each year from 1997-98 was as follows:
	
		
			   
			   Supply teaching staff  Agency supply teaching staff  Total 
			 2002/03 484,510,938 356,530,225 841,041,163 
			 2003/04 462,741,309 372,491,669 835,232,978 
			 2004/05 438,806,050 384,905,468 823,711,518 
			 2005/06 454,848,557 434,073,749 888,922,306 
			 2006/07 117,646,342 268,443,722 386,090,064 
		
	
	Prior to 2002/03 expenditure on supply teachers was not separately identifiable and so this data is not available. Data for the period 2007/08 has yet to be fully collated and so too is omitted from the aforementioned table.
	The Department's Educational Procurement Centre (EPC) is currently undertaking a Temporary Workers in Education project. This aims to provide schools (initially in London) with an accessible, quality driven electronic one stop shop for their temporary staff requirements. Two key benefits of this project will be safeguarding and efficiencies. All participating agencies will hold the DCSF Recruitment Employment Confederation (REC) Quality Mark, thereby meeting the requirements of the Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education guidance. All London boroughs will be able to benefit from a safe and value adding quality central service, reducing their own resourcing requirement in relation to temporary staff and allow them to redirect to other needs.

Teachers: Career Structure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to enhance continuing professional development opportunities for teachers; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Ongoing engagement in effective Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that makes a positive difference to teachers' effectiveness is essential if we are to achieve our aim of a world class work force.
	Working with Social Partners and the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) we will introduce a new qualification, the Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL), which will offer enhanced professional development for teachers. Building on the current performance management arrangements, we will continue to explore with Social Partners how we might frame an entitlement to CPD. Alongside this we will continue to invest in the National Strategies and other subject-specific priorities such as science and mathematics.

Teachers: Foreigners

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of teachers in each local authority area in London are not British nationals; and what the equivalent figures are for each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The information is not collected centrally.

Teachers: Labour Turnover

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of teachers left the profession within  (a) one year,  (b) two years and  (c) five years of joining in the latest period for which figures are available; what information his Department holds on the levels of qualifications of those teachers; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The readily available information relates to the percentage of newly qualified teachers who remained in local authority maintained service a number of years after qualification. This information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage of full and part-time( 1)  secondary teachers that qualified in a particular year and were still in service in the maintained sector in England a number of years later 
			 Percentage in full or part-time service the following number of years later 
			  Year qualified( 2)  Newly qualified entrants  First year in service( 3)  1 year  2 years  3 years  4 years  5 years  6 years  7 years  8 years 
			 1997 9,300 1997-98 89 82 77 73 70 68 67 65 
			 1998 8,700 1998-99 89 81 76 73 71 69 67  
			 1999 8,800 1999-2000 89 82 77 74 72 70   
			 2000 8,900 2000-01 90 83 78 76 72
			 2001 9,700 2001-02 91 83 79 75 
			 2002 11,600 2002-03 91 84 80  
			 2003 13,000 2003-04 91 85   
			 2004 13,300 2004-05 91
			 (1) Teachers in part-time service are under-recorded on the DTR by between 10 and 20 per cent. and therefore these figures may be slightly underestimated.  (2) Calendar year in which the teachers qualified.  (3) Financial year during which the teachers entered service.   Notes:  1. Figures relating to 2004-05 and 2005-06 are provisional; entrant numbers rounded to nearest 100. 2. The length of service may not have been continuous; for example, not all of those shown as teaching eight years after entering service in 1997-98 may have taught continuously for eight years, some may have taken periods of time outside of the maintained sector.   Source:  Database of Teacher Records (DTR). 
		
	
	Information on the levels of qualifications of these teachers could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Teachers: Labour Turnover

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many full-time teachers entering the profession left the profession within  (a) three and  (b) five years in the latest period for which figures are available in each local authority area in Yorkshire and the Humber; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available by local authority area.
	The readily available information relates to the percentage of newly qualified teacher who remained in local authority maintained service in England a number of years after qualification. This information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of full and part-time( 1)  secondary teachers that qualified in a particular year and were still in service in the maintained sector in England a number of years later 
			 Percentage in full or part-time service the following number of years later 
			  Year qualified( 2)  Newly qualified entrants  First year in service( 3)  1 yr  2 yrs  3 yrs  4 yrs  5 yrs  6 yrs  7 yrs  8 yrs 
			 1997 9,300 1997-98 89 82 77 73 70 68 67 65 
			 1998 8,700 1998-99 89 81 76 73 71 69 67  
			 1999 8,800 1999-2000 89 82 77 74 72 70   
			 2000 8,900 2000-01 90 83 78 76 72
			 2001 9,700 2001-02 91 83 79 75 
			 2002 11,600 2002-03 91 84 80  
			 2003 13,000 2003-04 91 85   
			 2004 13,300 2004-05 91
			 (1) Teachers in part-time service are under-recorded on the DTR by between 10 and 20% and therefore these figures may be slightly underestimated. (2) Calendar year in which the teachers qualified. (3) Financial year during which the teachers entered service.  Notes: 1. The length of service may not have been continuous; for example, not all of those shown as teaching eight years after entering service in 1997-98 may have taught continuously for eight years, some may have taken periods of time outside of the maintained sector. 2. Figures relating to 2004-05 and 2005-06 are provisional; entrant numbers rounded to nearest 100.  Source: Database of Teacher Records (DTR)

Teachers: Performance Appraisal

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the average time taken to complete the steps necessary to dismiss a persistently underperforming teacher in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect this information.

Teachers: Qualifications

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what proportion of new teachers had  (a) a first class,  (b) an upper second class,  (c) a lower second class,  (d) a third class and  (e) no degree in each year from 1996 to 2008; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what proportion of maintained secondary schools have no teacher on staff with a degree level qualification in physics; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of teacher turnover in maintained schools in the most recent period for which figures are available, broken down by local authority area;
	(4)  what estimates he has made of teacher turnover rates in each local authority in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  how many schools had a teacher turnover rate above 25 per cent. in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath on 4 February 2008,  Official Report, column 924W with respect to question 201131.

Teachers: Qualifications

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of teachers in each local authority area was classed as unqualified in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the proportion of full-time equivalent unqualified teachers employed in local authority maintained schools in England by each local authority in January 2007. Unqualified teachers include 11,000 instructors and overseas trained teachers and 5,700 on employment based training routes to qualified teacher status (including teachers on the Graduate Teacher Programme, Registered Teacher Programme, Overseas Trained Teacher Programme and Teach First).
	
		
			  The proportion of full-time equivalent unqualified teachers employed in local authority maintained schools in England by each local authority in January 2007 
			   Percentage 
			 Gateshead 0.5 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 2.1 
			 North Tyneside 0.8 
			 South Tyneside 1.3 
			 Sunderland 2.4 
			 Hartlepool 3.2 
			 Middlesbrough 1.4 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 3.5 
			 Stockton on Tees 3.1 
			 Darlington 2.0 
			 Durham 1.7 
			 Northumberland 1.2 
			 North East 1.9 
			   
			 Cumbria 1.1 
			 Cheshire 1.8 
			 Halton 1.1 
			 Warrington 1.4 
			 Bolton 2.0 
			 Bury 0.9 
			 Manchester 3.9 
			 Oldham 3.5 
			 Rochdale 1.7 
			 Salford 3.0 
			 Stockport 0.9 
			 Tameside 1.7 
			 Trafford 1.9 
			 Wigan 1.6 
			 Lancashire 1.5 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 0.5 
			 Blackpool 1.5 
			 Knowsley 1.8 
			 Liverpool 1.4 
			 St. Helens 0.7 
			 Sefton 1.7 
			 Wirral 1.2 
			 North West 1.7 
			   
			 Kingston-Upon-Hull, City of 7.3 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 2.5 
			 North East Lincolnshire 5.9 
			 North Lincolnshire 4.0 
			 North Yorkshire 3.0 
			 York 2.2 
			 Barnsley 1.2 
			 Doncaster 3.0 
			 Rotherham 2.9 
			 Sheffield 3.3 
			 Bradford 0.9 
			 Calderdale 0.9 
			 Kirklees 1.9 
			 Leeds 2.5 
			 Wakefield 2.4 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2.7 
			   
			 Derby 2.7 
			 Leicestershire 4.0 
			 Leicester 5.2 
			 Rutland 1.9 
			 Lincolnshire 5.1 
			 Northamptonshire 4.5 
			 Nottinghamshire 0.9 
			 Nottingham 2.9 
			 East Midlands 3.2 
			   
			 Herefordshire 2.5 
			 Worcestershire 1.8 
			 Shropshire 1.3 
			 Telford and Wrekin 2.2 
			 Staffordshire 2.1 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 3.6 
			 Warwickshire 3.6 
			 Birmingham 1.0 
			 Coventry 3.3 
			 Dudley 2.9 
			 Sandwell 0.7 
			 Solihull 4.0 
			 Walsall 3.9 
			 Wolverhampton 3.9 
			 West Midlands 2.3 
			 Cambridgeshire 5.5 
			 Peterborough 4.0 
			 Norfolk 4.0 
			 Suffolk 2.3 
			 Bedfordshire 5.8 
			 Luton 9.5 
			 Essex 3.9 
			 Southend-on-Sea 12.7 
			 Thurrock 10.3 
			 Hertfordshire 5.2 
			 East of England 5.0 
			   
			 City of London 15.3 
			 Camden 9.4 
			 Greenwich 8.4 
			 Hackney 15.3 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 10.4 
			 Islington 8.8 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 12.7 
			 Lambeth 9.0 
			 Lewisham 5.4 
			 Southwark 12.0 
			 Tower Hamlets 10.0 
			 Wandsworth 8.2 
			 Westminster 12.3 
			 Barking and Dagenham 9.2 
			 Barnet 8.5 
			 Bexley 4.6 
			 Brent 9.7 
			 Bromley 5.3 
			 Croydon 6.0 
			 Ealing 8.5 
			 Enfield 8.0 
			 Haringey 6.5 
			 Harrow 9.4 
			 Havering 6.9 
			 Hillingdon 9.1 
			 Hounslow 6.5 
			 Kingston upon Thames 4.5 
			 Merton 6.2 
			 Newham 5.5 
			 Redbridge 9.1 
			 Richmond upon Thames 4.8 
			 Sutton 5.0 
			 Waltham Forest 9.1 
			 London 8.1 
			   
			 Bracknell Forest 7.0 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 9.1 
			 West Berkshire 2.7 
			 Reading 3.2 
			 Slough 10.1 
			 Wokingham 4.2 
			 Buckinghamshire 5.8 
			 Milton Keynes 3.7 
			 East Sussex 3.3 
			 Brighton and Hove 2.6 
			 Hampshire 3.6 
			 Portsmouth 4.5 
			 Southampton 3.8 
			 Isle of Wight 6.1 
			 Kent 8.9 
			 Medway 5.9 
			 Oxfordshire 5.2 
			 Surrey 3.8 
			 West Sussex 1.8 
			 South East 5.1 
			   
			 Isles of Scilly  
			 Bath and North East Somerset 1.1 
			 City of Bristol 2.7 
			 North Somerset 0.2 
			 South Gloucestershire 0.7 
			 Cornwall 2.0 
			 Devon 1.8 
			 Plymouth 1.5 
			 Torbay 2.3 
			 Dorset 2.0 
			 Poole 1.8 
			 Bournemouth 1.9 
			 Gloucestershire 1.6 
			 Somerset 2.1 
			 Wiltshire 1.6 
			 Swindon 3.3 
			 South West 1.8 
			   
			 England 3.8 
			  Source: Annual Survey of Teachers in Services and Teacher Vacancies (618g)

Teachers: Recruitment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many places there were on the Teach First programme in each year since its establishment; how many places there will be on the  (a) Teach First and  (b) Teach Next programme in each year from 2008 to 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the targets for Teach First places for the academic years 2003/04 to 2009/10. No allocations have been made beyond 2009/10.
	
		
			  Targets for Teach First places 
			   Number 
			 2003/04 200 
			 2004/05 200 
			 2005/06 200 
			 2006/07 280 
			 2007/08 350 
			 2008/09 365 
			 2009/10 435 
			  Note: 2003/04 was the first year of the Teach First programme.  Source: Teach First. 
		
	
	At present there is no Teach Next programme.

Teachers: Training

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of those entering teacher training schemes had no qualifications at  (a) degree and  (b) advanced level in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the proportion of entrants to Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses between 1998/99 and 2005/06 who had no qualifications at  (a) degree and  (b) advanced level. New entrants to undergraduate ITT programmes will gain their degree on successful completion of their programme, and by definition will not therefore hold a degree or equivalent on entry. Virtually all (99.99 per cent.) of the trainees represented by column Proportion of entrants with no degree or degree equivalent of the table were on undergraduate programmes.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Year of entry  Route  Proportion of entrants with no degree or degree equivalent  Proportion of entrants with no degree or degree equivalent or A/AS levels 
			 1998/99 Mainstream 33 12 
			 1999/2000 Mainstream 31 11 
			 2000/01 Mainstream 29 10 
			 
			 2001/02 Mainstream 27 9 
			  EBITT 5 5 
			  Total 24 9 
			 
			 2002/03 Mainstream 25 10 
			  EBITT 5 5 
			  Total 23 9 
			 
			 2003/04 Mainstream 23 8 
			  EBITT 4 4 
			  Total 21 8 
			 
			 2004/05 Mainstream 24 8 
			  EBITT 4 4 
			  Total 20 7 
			 
			 2005/06 Mainstream 25 7 
			  EBITT 3 3 
			  Total 21 7 
			  Notes:  1. Data prior to 1998/99 is not available.  2. Mainstream includes universities and other higher education institutes, SCITT and Open University, but excludes Employment Based ITT (EBITT).  3. EBITT includes trainees through the Graduate Teacher Programme, the Registered Teacher Programme, the Overseas Trained Teachers Programme and Teach First.  4. Prior to 2001/02 no data was collected about the qualifications of EBITT trainees.  5. Those with a degree or degree equivalent include trainees with non-UK degrees.  6. Those without a degree or degree equivalent or A/AS levels include trainees with GNVQs, Access and other qualification or undefined.   Source:  TDA's Performance Profiles.

National Strategies Programme

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost of the National Strategies programme managed by Capita for his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: In 2007-08 approximately 469 million has been allocated for the delivery of and engagement with the National Strategies programmes. This includes funding for school improvement, as well as the development and delivery of professional development materials for teachers. It also includes support for central coordination at local authority level and targeted funding for schools.

Teaching Methods: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department plans to spend on each scheme for personalised learning in schools in each year from 2008-09 to 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Comprehensive Spending Review for the period 2008-11 allocated the following additional funding for personalised learning, including funding for Special Educational Needs, through the Dedicated Schools Grant:
	
		
			   million 
			 2008-09 330 
			 2009-10 535 
			 2010-11 912 
		
	
	This money is included in schools' base budgets and is earmarked for personalised learning and special educational needs, but is not allocated to specific initiatives. The funding reflects the Government's commitment to tailor the support available for every child that allows them to reach their full potential, irrespective of their background or circumstances.
	In addition to the allocations above, the CSR also allocated money for the following specific areas of work which relate to personalised learning:
	150 million to support Assessment for Learning, a key element of personalising learning (50 million in each of 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11);
	453 million to enable 300,000 pupils a year to receive individual tuition in English, and a further 300,000 pupils in mathematics, by 2010-11 (138 million in 2009-10; 315 million in 2010-11); and
	167 million to fund the expansion of the Every Child a Reader, Every Child Counts and Every Child a Writer one-to-one intervention programmes for children in primary school (19 million in 2008-09, 56 million in 2009-10, 92 million in 2010-11).
	The funding settlement for 2011-12 has not yet been announced.